Data Dynamics is expected to announce NetApp will resell its StorageX file lifecycle management software.
The New Jersey company, founded in 2012, sells StorageX on a subscription basis. Lenovo resells its service and Data Dynamics says it has several multi-million dollar annual recurring revenue deals. It counts 26 of the Fortune 100 as customers and is profitable, Cuong Le, SVP, told us in a press briefing this week.
The company is currently buying Infintus Innovations, a small startup based in Pune, India. This will add AI-flavoured content analytics that StorageX customers can use to scan file or object content for particular types of data, for instance, personally identifiable information (PII).
Files that contain PII are recognised and can be stored more securely to meet compliance requirements and reduce the risk of exposure. The idea here is to add risk mitigation to file data management.
As with StorageX currently, old files accessed infrequently are identified through a file system scan and moved to lower-cost storage, obviating the need for primary storage or backup. This alone can save money, and competitors such as Komprise and Spectra Logic also do this. But Data Dynamics does a complete file move rather than leave a stub behind or adjusting a dynamic link. So there is no need to rehydrate the file for backup, as can be the case with stubbing.
Now is the AI of our content
StorageX is to also to add content intelligence, starting with PII scanning. The technique is to train machine learning models to recognise PII fields and then unleash them on a file estate. When a file containing PII is tagged for migration, it can be moved to more secure, cheaper storage. Data Dynamics intends to add standard templates that customers can use to specify different kinds of PII data or other sensitive data.
Enterprises increasingly recognising the necessity for basic file lifecycle management, and Data Dynamics can gain an edge by adding content intelligence. StorageX could be about to become a much more important product.
With NetApp coming on board and content intelligence slated for 2020’s second quarter, Data Dynamics sees itself at a growth inflection point.
The company is obtaining help from Mark Ward, an advisor and consultant. Data Dynamics is expanding its operating capability and geographic coverage. It is opening an office in the UK, for example. Also the company is to train the NetApp sales channel and make collateral to help sell the StorageX service.
