Fusion-io Acquires Software-Defined Storage Company ID7

Fusion-io (FIO) announced that it has acquired ID7, a specialist in software defined storage UK-based ID7 is an open-source leader in shared storage systems, as well as the developers and key contributors of SCST, a Linux storage software subsystem used by many storage vendors throughout the world.

"Software defined storage platforms are key to delivering peak performance and efficiency in today’s data centers," 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."

ID7 builds storage solutions across iSCSI, Fiber Channel, InfinBand and other interfaces, and its engineering team is the primary developer of the SCST storage subsystem. 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. 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. The ID7 team, including the primary SCST developers, will join Fusion-io as a result of the acquisition.

"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 operating system kernel to deliver significant breakthroughs in modern storage architectures," said Mark Klarzynski, Founder and Chief Technology Officer 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." Klarzynski also wrote a blog post about joining Fusion-io, and the promise of software defined storage.