A Cloud initiative is now widely recognized as an essential part of a genetically diverse storage strategy. In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed the importance of incorporating on-premise copies (When the Cloud is Out of Order, Are You?), storing to multiple locations, and making use of backup, restoration, and replication methods (Comparing Data Resiliency and Data Protection) to achieve resilient and protected data with a cloud initiative. This week’s blog will explore how the Spectra® BlackPearl® Converged Storage System’s hybrid cloud storage model allows data to move seamlessly into disk, tape and cloud storage in a way not previously possible.

Data-driven businesses leverage cloud storage as an archive data tier, as part of a disaster recovery plan, or as a copy of online data for safekeeping. BlackPearl’s hybrid cloud storage model enables users to deploy a multi-tiered storage strategy that optimizes cost efficiency, storing some data in the cloud and some using on/off-premise disk and tape solutions. It allows assets to be easily moved to the public or private cloud for disaster recovery, distribution, and archiving of frequently accessed data, while limiting unexpected retrieval charges associated with cloud-only storage by keeping a copy of infrequently accessed data on disk and/or tape for pennies per gigabyte.

Spectra’s BlackPearl provides a powerful, centralized object storage gateway that enables massive amounts of data to be stored forever, at virtually no cost. It eliminates vendor lock-in and allows users to browse data from any storage domain with ease. Through a single interface, users can send and retrieve large amounts of data directly from their existing native applications, to and from any storage target, both locally and in the cloud. This modern storage solution employs features like online archive expansion, asynchronous replication, time-based deletion, automated restoration, and configurable data policies to enable nearly instant access to content and a highly customizable workflow, accelerating the overall system response time and delivering more productive storage environments.

BlackPearl integrates directly with Amazon S3 Standard and Standard – Infrequent Access (Standard-IA), and is one of the few products that will automatically restore data archived to Glacier. BlackPearl also integrates into Google Cloud Storage and Drive, Microsoft Azure, Rackspace and Cloudfiles. Moreover, Spectra customers have the ability to create their own flexible end-to-end hybrid storage ecosystem with the combination of Spectra’s Blackpearl Converged Storage System and Cyberduck’s free, open source client software tool. The joint solution enables fast file transfers between primary storage, local tape and disk-based private clouds, and any public cloud provider.

The Spectra BlackPearl Converged Storage System solves the problem of costly and complex approaches to digital preservation by combining standard interfaces and storage targets into a simple and affordable solution designed for diverse workflows. BlackPearl’s modern storage environment is deployed across a wide range of private and public sectors in markets as diverse as genomics and healthcare, general IT management, high-performance computing, media and entertainment, research and education and video surveillance.

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