DDN Advances Object Storage with Major Platform Updates

Data Direct Networks (DDN) answers the unstructured data challenge with major updates to its advanced WOS Object Storage Platform, and announces that it is joining the Active Archive Alliance.

Major advances to WOS Object Storage

DDN introduced a significant update to its WOS object storage platform, adding new software features. The WOS 360 full-spectrum object storage update adds a broad set of sophisticated new data protection, archive, collaboration and distribution capabilities designed specifically to meet the five key object storage requirements of customers today: scalability, accessibility, efficiency, reliability and performance.

WOS 360 can leverage options for single data center, multiple data center for data protection and data sharing, as well as long-term retention archive storage with the introduction of the new WOS Archive Node hardware option. WOS was designed as a true object storage platform with a flat, single layer address structure where objects are stored in a contiguous group of blocks so that disk operations are minimized, performance is maximized and disks are used at full capacity. It offers a platform that provides local, replicated and globally distributed erasure coding.

With the latest WOS update, DDN introduces Global ObjectAssure, a new kind of distributed erasure coding, designed for multi-site deployments where customers require very low-cost infrastructures for very large data sets. Global ObjectAssure, with local and global data protection capabilities, is designed for use cases in which low network overhead and high levels of data durability are key decision criteria. DDN is also introducing the new, low-cost WOS Archive Node. For organizations looking to build large scale active archives, the Archive Node in combination with Global ObjectAssure helps drive down costs by up to 20 percent.

“As more organizations re-evaluate their storage architectures to meet the demands of modern massive scale environments, there is a rapid acceleration in the interest and deployment of object storage platforms," said Molly Rector, Chief Marketing Officer at DDN. "Some of the largest data environments in the web, cloud and research fields are DDN WOS customers who are setting the roadmap for DDN product innovation. Our WOS 360 announcement today which includes new software and the Archive Node hardware reflects DDN’s commitment to listening to our customers’ business requirements and delivering technology to help solve their rapidly changing data storage needs.”

DDN joins Active Archive Alliance

Expanding its ecosystem for archive solutions, DDN announced that it is joining the Active Archive Alliance. User expectations ask vendor solutions to offer seamless inter-compatibility and ease of use as data is migrated across the tiers of storage. The Active Archive Alliance is the industry association users turn to for thought leadership and demonstrated vendor compatibility for long-term, cost effective data retention solutions. DDN WOS and GRIDScaler technologies address active archive use cases and provide collaboration, access and tiered storage capabilities.

“DDN offers tremendous expertise in high performance, scale-out storage solutions," said Molly Rector, Chief Marketing Officer at DDN. "As demand increases among our users to offer multiple storage tiers coupled with the ability to tune performance, access and data protection parameters, we look forward to collaborating with the Active Archive Alliance to define industry requirements and educate end users on best practices. Technology is evolving rapidly; DDN and the Active Archive Alliance are jointly committed to helping users access the best technologies to meet their data storage and management requirements.”