v2.0 software from data replicator WANdisco supports faster migrations, larger datasets, and includes more management features designed to make the data migration process easier and safer.
WANdisco calls its software the Data Activation Platform, the idea being that data can be moved from internet edge environments to datacenters and multiple public clouds. There it can be crunched by analytics apps, potentially revealing information that helps businesses increase efficiency and effectiveness. This, at least, is the sale pitch.
David Richards, CEO and WANdisco founder, said: “Businesses face a dizzying challenge in moving massive amounts of data from a lot of sources to a lot of targets. As data continues to amass at the edge and on-premises at an unprecedented pace, solutions must improve to handle massive data transfers at incredible speeds – but also deliver a seamless experience.”
The intent of the v2 software update is “just that. Now enterprises will have even greater control over all, or specific, data transfers happening across their business.”
The Data Activation Platform (DAP) has three incarnations: Data Migrator (Live Data Migrator as was), Edge to Cloud, and Data Migrator for Azure. They all use, we understand, the same core data moving engine. Back in 2017, this was called Fusion, technology that could replicate source transaction data to a remote target, while the source was actively generating fresh data and updating its records.
Chief scientist Dr Yeturu Aahlad applied a distributed Paxos algorithm to determine the correct order to apply updates at the target system to ensure it was a correct replication of the target. A Paxos algorithm creates consensus from a group of unreliable processes. With replication, updates could arrive at the target in different order from the source. Also network links could break, so identifying updates with a Global Sequence Number (GSN) enabled them to be applied in the correct chronological order.
DAP v2.0 adds these features:
- Multiple data transfer agents to provide scale-out data moving to maximize bandwidth use and so increase speed
- Auto source cleanup with settable controls for how long data is stored at the source before deletion, which can help low capacity edge source systems
- Enhanced verification to scan both source and target environments to ensure data fidelity and validate the migration process
- Migration prioritization with high, normal, or low priority levels and optimise the resource use of each migration
- User interface enhancements to enable users to configure settings and manage multi-cloud transfers with just a few clicks
WANdisco says DAP v2.0 supports the Data Migrator and Edge to Cloud offerings.
It has developed DAP v2.0, we’re told, because its customers are growing in number across the telco, automotive, manufacturing and energy and utilities markets. They need to shift increasing amounts of data. For example, an automotive parts supplier moves 1 to 9PB of sensor data monthly with WANdisco. But this pales in comparison to another of its customers in the same market that moves more than 60PB of sensor data every two weeks.
WANdisco’s strategy is to enhance its product market fit, enable new industry-specific use cases, step away from the generic data migration treadmill, fit in with partner company’s go-to-market efforts, and improve its ease of use. The aim here is to increase its total addressable market and grow with its customers.
It’s grown rapidly in the last year with a string of contract wins, and expects preliminary unaudited revenues for FY22 to be no less than $24 million (229 percent year-on-year growth). FY22 bookings grew 967 percent to $127 million.
