OpenDrives is launching composable storage software in a bid to end capacity-centric licensing.
The pitch is that a typical storage software product is full of features users may not want but can’t avoid buying. This is similar to using a word processor with hundreds of different and powerful features, but in reality you just use a handful of the basic functions. Businesses small and large are forced to purchase all the functions, even if they only use 5 percent of them. In terms of storage software, customers can buy a reduced function entry-level product with capacity constraints and a full-function feature set with higher capacity and performance. Both can be inflexible.
OpenDrives supplies storage software to the media and entertainment industry, appointing Sean Lee as CEO last month. Its Atlas 2.8 storage product has a composable architecture. It says all customers, regardless of storage capacity limitations, “receive a high-performance, enterprise storage software platform that can be configured according to creative workflow requirements.”
Trevor Morgan, OpenDrives VP of Product, said in a statement: “We are breaking the boundaries of traditional storage models to fully cater to content creators across the spectrum.
“In conversations with our customers, it was clear that they needed a storage solution that didn’t put them in a box, increasing costs as their creative requirements changed and capacity increased. Atlas 2.8 brings forth a scalable solution that doesn’t compromise on performance, capabilities, or affordability.”
OpenDrives claims this is a “game-changing shift from the industry-standard practice of storage pricing based on capacity.”
Morgan added: “We now have the ability to combine feature sets into larger ‘tiered’ bundles, which are designed for specific market segments. We can also offer smaller add-on feature packages that customers can combine with one of our standard bundles. We even offer the ultimate flexibility, à la carte add-on features, for those critical must-have capabilities without the need to step up to a more comprehensive (and more expensive) tier.”
There are two prepackaged software bundles: Atlas Essentials and Atlas Comprehensive. Core features of both include proactive data prefetching, atomic writes with checksums, and snapshots.
Atlas Essentials is for small, localized organizations and satellite offices. Atlas Comprehensive is for businesses and enterprises that might be highly distributed, and dealing with resource-intensive workflows. Both bundles come with unlimited capacity per controller, meaning you can add another 500 TB or 2 PB without additional software fees.
Upgrading or downgrading from one to the other only requires a new license key. Future releases will offer intermediary bundle tiers with different combinations of pre-packaged functionality.
Customers can purchase Atlas Essentials, which is certified to run on specific Supermicro hardware platforms, through select OpenDrives channel partners. Atlas Comprehensive is available through all OpenDrives partners.
Check out a microsite about Atlas 2.8 here.
