Infinidat has upgraded its InfiniBox arrays to fourth-generation hardware with a higher level of performance and added cyber-protection, Azure support, a controller upgrade program, and increased service offerings.
The company sells high-end and scale-up enterprise arrays with three controllers for reliability and Neural Cache-branded memory caching for very low latency storage request responses down to 35μs. InfuzeOS controls the arrays and also runs in the AWS cloud, providing an InfiniBox environment there. Infinidat has all-flash (SSA) and hybrid flash/disc versions of its array, both with memory caching. There is an InfiniGuard cyber-protection and backup system, and the InfiniVerse cloud-based monitoring system receiving telemetry from InfiniBox arrays.
Infinidat CEO Phil Bullinger said: “We’re excited to announce the new InfiniBox G4 systems and the many new enhancements that expand our InfiniVerse platform and STaaS (Storage-as-a-Service) initiatives, cybersecurity capabilities, infrastructure lifecycle management, and hybrid multi-cloud support, culminating significant product development efforts and field engagement with our partners and customers.”
Hardware
The InfiniBox SSA F1400T arrays move away from Intel Xeons to controllers based on AMD EPYC 9554P single socket 64-core CPUs. This gives them 31 percent more CPU capability and a 20 percent power reduction on a per core basis compared to the existing F4304T and F4308T systems.
They are fitted with a PCIe gen 5 bus, replacing the prior gen 3 PCIe interconnect, and DDR5 DRAM, enabling them to deliver up to twice the performance of the current (G3) generation of InfiniBox and InfiniBox SSA II arrays.
There are four models in the SSA range – F1404T, F1408T, F1416T and F21432T – and they have the same active-active-actuve controller set up but different capacities:
The capacities are expressed as percentages of a petabyte. The F1432T will be available in a few months. The F1404T requires 14 RU of rack space at 155TB usable capacity, and the F1408t and F1416T also take up 14RU as will the F1432T. You will still be able to buy them from Infinidat in rack form though, as well as 14RU enclosures that fit in a standard rack. It will not be possible to upgrade from one F1400T model to the next.
Infinidat has also extended its hybrid InfiniBox 4400 range upward with a new F4420 model fitted with 20 TB disk drives, giving it 3.17 PB usable capacity, 55 percent more than the prior top end F4412:
The F4408T and F4416T will be available in a flexible storage architecture with 60, 80 and 100 percent capacity populated forms.
Infinidat is joining Pure with EverGreen, IBM with Storage Assure, and HPE’s Timeless initiatives with its own Mobius-branded, non-disruptive, controller upgrade program for the gen 4 arrays over their life cycle.
The array’s InfuzeOS is now available in the Azure cloud with the InfuzeOS Cloud Edition product, as well as AWS, giving Infinidat customers multi-public cloud capability for running Infinidat storage facilities with replication to and between AWS and Azure from on-premises Infinidat systems for test/dev, DR, backup and business continuity. The performance of the AWS and Azure InfuzeOS instances will depend upon the underlying infrastructure the CSP uses.
Cyber-protection and InfiniVerse
Infinidat has developed Automated Cyber Protection (ACP) where API calls from Syslog, Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) and Security Orchestration, Automation, and Response (SOAR) tools can trigger automatic snapshotting for all or selected parts of the array’s data volumes. That means a ransomware or other attack, when detected by the tools, can have its threat window drastically reduced because critical data can be immediately copied into an immutable InfiniSafe snapshot. The snaps can be inspected with InfiniSafe Cyber Detection scanning uses AI and ML to check the content for integrity.
A blog by Bill Bassinas, Infinidat’s Senior Director of Product Marketing, says: “InfiniSafe ACP is a simple concept – when you see something, do something! … Without thinking, it automatically triggers a protection scheme to create immutable snapshots of any data within your InfiniBox SSA and InfiniBox platforms. Why do it? Why not? It costs you nothing! … and can save you millions!”
Infinidat has extended its InfiniSafe Cyber Detection capabilities to VMware environments. Bassinas says: “Volumes or file systems that are used for VMware datastores can now be specifically scanned with the same accuracy as standard data volumes and file systems. VMs are reported on with the same accuracy and high levels of granularity as volumes, files, databases, etc.”
It will extend its coverage to its InfiniGuard purpose-built backup appliance in the second half of 2024. InfiniSafe core functionality and InfiniSafe ACP are included at no cost with all Infinidat arrays.
The InfiniVerse cloud monitoring facility has been upgraded to a so-called Platform-Native Architecture. It now includes Cyber Resilience Services, Consumption Services, Lifecycle Management Services, Data Services, and Manage and Monitor control plane services.
Infinidat systems can be purchased as Capex, FLX consumption-based, pay-as-you-grow STaaS or in a COD (Capacity On Demand) scheme. InfiniVerse Mobius applies to the Capex purchase scheme.
Comment
Customers should welcome these substantial improvements of Infinidat’s on-premises arrays and their software and services, with extended cyber-protection, controller upgrades, and hybrid cloud facilities. The F1404T, with its 155 TB capacity, provides a lower-cost entry point than before and should extend Infinidat’s appeal to new customers.
