GigaOM has taken an evaluative look at six distributed cloud file storage suppliers and judged CTERA as sitting atop the heap.
Distributed cloud file storage is file storage based in the public cloud, and used to power applications such as collaboration software. The six suppliers are CTERA, Hammerspace, LucidLink, Nasuni, Panzura and Peer Software. GigaOm’s radar diagram places vendors in a 2D circular space defined by a vertical maturity-to-innovation axis and a horizontal feature-play-to-platform-play axis. There are three concentric circles with the inner being for leaders, the next for challengers and the outer for new entrants.
Suppliers are given a position and a selected direction of movement arrow; forward mover, fast mover and outperformer. Here’s the diagram:
The supplier closest to the centre is the top-ranked supplier. In this case it is CTERA which is also an outperformer. The GigaOm analysts write: “CTERA is the leader of this radar and … achieves outstanding ratings across a majority of key criteria and evaluation metrics. CTERA also proved to be the absolute leader in terms of edge deployment capabilities, providing organisations with the highest flexibility, enabling simplified edge data access, and offering comprehensive edge deployment options.”
The other outperformer is Hammerspace, classified as a challenger. GigaOm’s report reads: “Slightly behind the leaders’ pack, we find Hammerspace. The solution is well-suited to serve distributed cloud file storage requirements, but was built with more versatility and use cases in mind [than only distributed cloud file storage]. This explains a stronger focus on building a robust architectural foundation that excels in hybrid and multi-cloud capabilities, as well as integration with object storage.”
Two suppliers are close to CTERA, and challengers moving into the leaders circle: Panzura and Nasuni. We are told: “Panzura excels in integration with object storage, while Nasuni offers superior data management.”
All four of these suppliers are grouped in a quadrant between the platform-play end of the horizontal axis and the innovation end of the vertical axis.
The two remaining suppliers are feature-focused but still innovative: Lucid Link and Peer Software, which is new to us. The analysts argue: “LucidLink focuses on globally, instantly accessible data with one particularity — data is streamed as it is read. Streaming makes the solution especially well-suited for industries and use cases that rely on remote access to massive, multi-terabyte files, such as the media and entertainment industry. LucidLink’s capabilities in this area are unmatched.”
As for Peer Software, it “has an interesting approach. This solution was conceived around the premise that organisations can build an abstracted distributed file service on top of existing storage infrastructure. It also supports scalability in the cloud. This makes Peer Software best in class when it comes to protecting existing storage investments and extending their usage to distributed cloud file storage.”
The report can be obtained from CETERA’s web site here. If you need reminding why CTERA has top place, then a CTERA blog will be happy to tell you all about it.
Finally we note that one supplier in this section of the market — Egnyte — is not even included.
