Data Backup Digest

Given Dell’s reputation in large-scale, server-based data storage, it should come as no surprise that they’ve recently teamed up with Scality, the industry leader in software-based storage, in order to bolster performance, scalability and service reliability. The new partnership will see Scality’s RING software, a petabyte-scale storage system, included in future releases of Dell PowerEdge servers as well as products within the Dell Storage and Dell Networking families.

Alan Atkinson, vice president and general manager with Dell Storage, spoke about how the new partnership provides a direct benefit to his organization. He was quoted as saying: “Teaming with Scality further expands our software-defined data center portfolio and leadership as the most forward-looking industry partner for software-defined storage solutions and support. The combined Dell and Scality solution offers multi-petabyte object storage solutions for a wide range of enterprise customers, including cloud service providers, media and entertainment companies, research institutions, telecom providers and more.”

What is RING?

Scality RING features a software-based system that facilitates the long-term storage of large amounts of data. Moreover, advanced algorithms built into RING allow the system to streamline and improve its own performance as a system is scaled. However, Scality RING isn’t built strictly for massive datasets. In fact, the scalability of RING accommodates the storage of small and large files with varying speeds.

Erwan Menard, chief operating officer of Scality, shared Atkinson’s enthusiasm while explaining some of the benefits that will be seen by his own company. He was quoted as saying: “By decoupling hardware and software, we are able to immediately take advantage of hardware innovations, like those found in Dell’s PowerEdge servers, and give our customers the flexibility to mix and match generations and different kinds of servers as they grow their storage pools. With Dell’s long lasting commitment to open standards, and Linux in particular, the Scality RING is paired with a versatile and innovative server portfolio, and our joint customer base has already acknowledged it with several dozens of petabytes deployed. This relationship with Dell is an ideal match, allowing us to offer enterprises the best of both hardware and software, with a one-stop experience.”

To gain further insight into the functionality of Scality’s RING software, users can enjoy a free trial version of Scality RING. While the trial version is limited, the program does allow for online data storage and access via file and object interfaces. Customers are also able to simulate resiliency testing with servers and disks alike. To register and download the trial software, please visit www.scality.com/trial.

Scality RING is already in use by many large and prolific brands today. In fact, seven of the top 20 telecommunication companies currently utilize Scality’s RING for a variety of services, including cloud computing. As such, Scality RING is currently in use by over 500 million users around the globe. For more information regarding Scality, including information on any of their software or IT solutions, please visit their official website at www.scality.com. The company is also active on popular social networking sites.