Dell PowerScale OneFS is a highly scalable and flexible file system designed to meet the demanding storage needs of data-intensive workloads. It serves as the underlying software platform that powers Dell PowerScale appliance nodes, enabling them to function as a unified distributed file system. APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure introduces the OneFS distributed file system software into the public cloud, enabling users to enjoy the same management experience in the cloud as with their on-premises PowerScale appliance.
By leveraging APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure, you can effortlessly deploy and manage file storage on Azure without the need for hardware administration. This service provides a flexible and elastic storage infrastructure that can expand or shrink according to your business requirements.
Key features and benefits of APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure include:
- Simplified journey to hybrid cloud: With the increasing adoption of hybrid cloud environments, organizations often face the challenge of seamlessly moving data between on-premises and cloud-based environments. APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure simplifies this transition by enabling effortless data mobility through native replication and provides a consistent data management platform across both environments.
- Scalability: Because the APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure leverages the OneFS distributed file system, you have the flexibility to begin with a compact OneFS cluster and gradually expand it as your data storage needs increase. The capacity can be dynamically scaled up to a maximum cluster capacity of 5.6 PiB. These features allow you to scale your storage infrastructure as needed, avoiding excessive provisioning, and reducing upfront capital expenses. Once in the cloud, you can take advantage of the enterprise-class features of OneFS. These include: multiprotocol support, CloudPools, Data Reduction and Snapshots, to run your workloads in a manner consistent with your on-premises operations. APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure can use CloudPools to tier cold or infrequently accessed data to cost-effective cloud storage services such as Azure Blob Storage. CloudPools extends the OneFS namespace to the private and public cloud and allows you to store far more data than the usable cluster capacity.
- Data management: APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure offers powerful data management capabilities which includes: snapshots, data replication, and backup and restore. These features enable you to protect critical data, ensure high availability and streamline data management. The uniformity of OneFS features across both cloud and on-premises environments allows organizations to simplify operations, reduce the complexity of management, and maintain a consistent user experience.
- Data Resilience: Ensuring data resilience is critical for businesses to maintain continuity and to safeguard information. APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure implements erasure coding techniques. This advanced approach optimizes storage efficiency and enhances fault tolerance, enabling the cluster to withstand multiple node failures. By spreading nodes across different racks using Azure availability set, the cluster ensures that data accessibility is maintained in the event of a rack failure.
- High performance: APEX File Storage for Microsoft Azure offers exceptional file storage performance with low-latency access to data, ensuring that you can access data quickly and efficiently.