Kaminario: Cloud Fabric Software-Defined Storage Composable Data Platform

Kaminario Technologies Ltd. is entering the cloud service provider market with the availability of Cloud Fabric, a software-defined storage offering.

Cloud Fabric leverages the same composable data platform behind the company’s all-flash storage appliance, the K2. The firm’s composable data platform incorporates the VisionOS software operating platform and the Clarity analytics suite. Cloud Fabric delivers software-defined agility with the technology capability and enterprise features that earned K2 a high ranking in three out of five use cases compared to 19 all-flash arrays evaluated in Gartner, Inc.’s 2017 Critical Capabilities Report.

The software-defined datacenter (SDDC) is an enabler to delivering next-generation cloud services. While a small group of hyper scale service providers have pioneered the SDDC concept with their own proprietary engineering efforts, the level of technology investment required is not practical for the vast majority of enterprise or cloud service provider IT organizations. Cloud Fabric provides a path for cloud service providers to embrace the SDDC paradigm without developing their own proprietary data management software stack.

Cloud Fabric complements K2 appliance with a software-only consumption model. The customers will receive access to the company’s composable data platform through an enterprise-wide, usage-based software license. Pay as you go pricing aligns infrastructure management costs to the as-a-service business models of cloud service providers. Cloud Fabric can be deployed on a certified, industry-standard hardware stack available through Tech Data Corp. as part of a recently announced partnership with the firm. Physical hardware assets are completely decoupled from software licenses, allowing cloud service providers to shift hardware resources as needed and to scale storage infrastructure up, out, in and off based on business demands.

“Cloud Fabric represents the next phase of Kaminario’s journey toward becoming a cloud software company,” said Dani Golan, CEO, Kaminario. “We see software-defined, composable infrastructure becoming the dominant storage paradigm for modern datacenters. Fixed storage array architectures no longer make sense in the era of the cloud.“

Availability:

• Service provider customers can purchase Cloud Fabric from the company with certified hardware resources available through Tech Data.

• The K2 integrated appliance will continue be available.

• Cloud Fabric will incorporate the firm’s Flex orchestration and automation platform as it becomes available in 2018.

• The company will provide centralized support for all Cloud Fabric solutions.

“ViON, a Cloud Service Provider, is excited to see Kaminario’s Cloud Fabric released to commercial and government markets” said Carl Fulp, CTO, ViON Corp. “Cloud Fabric lets organizations like ViON deliver unmatched cost efficiency with workload flexibility that translates to the evolving needs for the next generation data center.“

“Cloud Fabric is a great example of how technology companies can optimize their go-to-market strategies using a unique combination of technology and lifecycle management services,” said John O’Shea, SVP, global lifecycle management services, Americas, Tech Data. “We are proud to partner with Kaminario to provide solutions that deliver the agility and cost efficiency that cloud service providers need to build modern software-defined datacenters and stand out in the market.“

“This bold move to a software-only model increases Kaminario’s appeal to a broader set of customers more than before without giving up any of the advantages of the appliance-based consumption model,” said Eric Burgener, research director, IDC. “Kaminario worked with channel partners to craft a go-to-market strategy that ensures customers who still want storage appliances will have the same customer experience as before, but the addition of the software-,y model provides additional flexibility that offers more choice and better economics for certain other types of customers, in particular cloud service providers.“

“The public cloud has changed the way that service providers must think about delivering their own as-a-service offerings,” said Scott Sinclair, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Service providers that want to be viable five years from now need to craft software-defined datacenter strategies that can compete with, or augment, AWS.“

Resource:
Video discussion with Steve Duplessie, ESG

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