Fusion-io Acquires UK Partner ID7

Fusion-io Inc. has acquired ID7 Ltd., in software defined storage (SDS) and an open-source leader in shared storage systems, as well as the developers and key contributors of SCST, a Linux storage software subsystem utilized by many storage vendors throughout the world.

ID7 has been collaborating with Fusion-io on software development for the ION Data Accelerator software that transforms industry standard servers into shared storage appliances.

"Software defined storage platforms are key to delivering peak performance and efficiency in today’s datacenters," said David Flynn, Fusion-io CEO and chairman. "ID7 has provided valuable contributions to the industry, making us excited to welcome them to our ION Data Accelerator team as we continue to grow our business with the expertise of many of the world’s most innovative engineers."

"As with other kernel contributors across the Linux stack working at Fusion-io, we will continue to support the open philosophies that have made ID7 and SCST successful," said Gary Orenstein, Fusion-io SVP of products. "In addition to maintaining an open source version of SCST, Fusion-io will continue to contribute to the open source distribution as we develop software solutions to help define the all-flash datacenter."

Established in 2006, ID7 is a UK-based storage technology company specializing in the development of storage software solutions across all types of interfaces including iSCSI, FC and IB. The ID7 engineering team is the primary developer of the SCST storage subsystem.

SCST is a SCSI target subsystem for Linux OSs that enables advanced functionality, including replication, thin provisioning, deduplication, HA, and automatic backup on any Linux server or appliance. The SCST core provides a unified, consistent interface between SCSI target drivers, the Linux kernel and storage system by connecting target drivers with a physical or emulated storage backend. The SCST subsystem supports data exchange via SCSI, including iSCSI, FC, FCoE, SAS, IB (SRP), and Wide (parallel) SCSI. The low overhead of the SCST subsystem delivers performance and scalability in software defined storage architectures.

"We had an opportunity to work with Fusion-io on the development of the ION Data Accelerator when it became apparent that the team has been founded on a culture of architecting software innovation deep within the Linux OS kernel to deliver significant breakthroughs in modern storage architectures," said Mark Klarzynski, founder and CTO of ID7. "We’re excited to join the Fusion-io team of world class engineers and developers to work together on open, software defined solutions to today’s most challenging data demands."

"Across Linux and Oracle subsystems, Fusion-io has embraced the need to support open source contributions to innovation in the storage stack," said Vlad Bolkhovitin, founder and primary developer of the SCST SCSI Target Subsystem for Linux. "By joining the Fusion-io team, we are pleased to be able to provide SCST with more engineering resources and talent to support the development of the open source and commercial SCST subsystems as we meet the needs of Fusion-io customers around the globe."

The ID7 team, including the primary SCST developers, will join Fusion-io as a result of the acquisition. The teams will continue to collaborate with Fusion-io engineering from their current locations across Europe and the United States.

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