Pure Storage announced the general availability of File Services for FlashArray. This storage service delivers access to native block and file services from a single, global pool of storage resources. Pure Storage posits that FlashArray is currently the only storage system designed from the ground up to provide a native, unified block and file experience that is purpose-built for flash storage.
Pure Storage announced the general availability of File Services for FlashArray. This storage service delivers access to native block and file services from a single, global pool of storage resources. Pure Storage posits that FlashArray is currently the only storage system designed from the ground up to provide a native, unified block and file experience that is purpose-built for flash storage.
Although there are legacy multi-protocol block and file storage solutions, they probably started as either a block or a file storage server. By combining the two, bolting on new protocols only makes management more complex. The legacy servers lack the flexibility and efficiency delivered through a unified array.
Pure Storage has been quietly working on a unified platform for a little over two years, interacting with customers and determining if the product and services are a good fit for the customer. Engineers then sized the system based on customer requirements before the installation. This should provide some confidence that Pure understands the benefits of a unified storage platform.
The new FlashArray Unified Block and File platform enables customers to reap the benefits from native block and file services that directly support block, file, and VMs. According to analysts at the Enterprise Strategy Group, a unified block and file storage platform leads to an estimated 62% reduction in management time and a 58% total cost of ownership (TCO) over three years.
Organizations using FlashArray for critical business services, such as databases, can use the same FlashArray for home directories, file shares, and other file storage needs. Business services that are block-based but have associated file data reap the benefits of FlashArray’s unified storage. For example, SAP and SQL databases are built with block storage but store log files in a file system.
Benefits of FlashArray’s unified block and file architecture include:
- Only unique blocks of data are saved on flash, which removes duplicates.
- Always-on, at-rest encryption provides enterprise-grade data security.
- Monitoring of performance variability automatically resolves bottlenecks.
- Expand capacity and replace or upgrade components without taking storage offline or impacting applications.
- Pure’s Evergreen subscription and Right-Size Guarantee eliminate expensive upgrades and storage rebuys.
- Integrated, streamlined management that provides insight on all Pure storage across block- and file-based production systems, as well as cloud platforms and remote locations.
The FlashArray Unified Block and File Platform includes:
- Global Storage Pools: A flexible global storage pool that eliminates the complexity associated with data growth on legacy unified arrays.
- Unified Policy Management: Eliminates the multi-layered management required by legacy storage platforms, giving administrators precise management of the specific storage service they want to deploy and control.
- VM-Aware Storage Capabilities: Granular visibility and management of VMs with VM-aware Storage. Natively manage VMs on FlashArray, including VM-level statistics, snapshots, quotas, and policies.
- Support for Common Use Cases: Support for all common use cases, including VMware and NFS data stores, user directories and profiles, content repositories, data protection, and backup.
Customers with existing Pure Storage FlashArrays (C, X, And XL) can upgrade to the Purity software that supports the unified FlashArray system. It is also available as a subscription as part of the Evergreen service.
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