The second generation of Panzura’ CloudFS SaaS filesystem software, also known as Data Services, introduces two-tier licensing with complementary basic and per-user tiers, functional licensing, high-availability nodes and search across multi-vendor file storage systems.
Panzura says its global cloud file system acts like an enterprise NAS, and looks like a standard Windows file share to applications and users. The software has automated, distributed file locking and real-time data consistency for every location in a global cloud network. It is not using capacity-based licensing for its CloudFS software and has made it more enterprise-capable by adding support for highly available nodes, bringing in file scanning on non-Panzura systems, audit data retention improvements, plus a preview of automated CloudFS node configuration and management.
Panzura’s chief innovation officer, Edward Peters, said: “Now [users] can go beyond an exclusively storage-based approach and separately license access for value-added functions such as enhanced audit and search capabilities.”
The configuration and management services include faster connection status detection of CLoudFS nodes, new inventory management tables, a Dataset View of a customer’s data sources for a CloudFS deployment, and a Node View feature to access an inventory of all CloudFS nodes.
Basic tier
The Basic tier allows file access and provides:
- Inventory of CloudFS components;
- Summary of component operational status;
- Monitoring and reports on metrics for the CloudFS network;
- Configurable alerts if storage, system and cloud thresholds are exceeded — quotas can be set — and may require attention;
- List of plug-ins for nodes registered on Data Services.
Disaster recovery capabilities enable the instantaneous rollback of files to a previous, granular state prior to accidental deletion or file corruption by ransomware or other malware exploits, with no data loss.
Licensed tier and functions
This is a tier of licensable services with separate licensing for Search, Audit and Audit Retention.
The Search license is provides up-to-the-second results and insight into the entire global file system including recovery services, quota services and data analytics.
This global function enables search and data analysis across all connected file systems, including Panzura and other compatible SMB and NFS file shares, for files, directories and snapshots. Data Services ingests the metadata of files and directories from connected file shares, including CloudFS, NetApp, and Dell EMC Isilon according to a periodic schedule, and indexes them into a searchable database.
The Audit license allows users to track and audit file opens, changes and access, find renamed or deleted files and recover them with a single click.
Audit functionality is provided by ingesting file logs in near real-time, providing a one-click view into user actions taken on files such as read, write, delete, move or update permissions.
The Audit Retention license provides for 180 days of data-log retention — double the prior amount. Multiple licenses can be purchased to cover longer data-retention periods.
Comment
In September, Panzura said it had been officially refounded, almost a year and a half since it was bought by private equity and given a new CEO. Refounding means, we think, that a founders-type mindset has been reimposed on the company to get it growing again and to get fresh employee commitment. The website was given a new look and the company gave itself a fresh new logo as well to mark a break from the past. Behold:
Let’s see if Panzura gets growing again and becomes a file collaboration and sharing company to be reckoned with. Download Panzura white papers from here to get more details of its software’s capabilities.
