NetApp backs StorageGRID system

Keeping the name

NetApp is bringing its acquired Bycast product to market, and it's keeping the StorageGRID name.

Bycast was bought by NetApp last month and the StorageGRID product is being sold as a complementary offering, bringing an object storage capability that NetApp's mainstream file and block storage FAS arrays do not have.

NetApp is positioning StorageGRID as providing petabyte-scale, globally distributed repositories of images, video and records for enterprises and service providers. It has inherited more than 250 StorageGRID customers worldwide and reckons it now has a better position from which to sell into healthcare, digital media, Web 2.0 and cloud services provider markets.

Iron Mountain, a Bycast OEM, supports what NetApp is doing, which suggests the two will continue to work together. There were no supportive messages from HP and IBM, two other Bycast OEMS. With IBM reselling NetApp's arrays as its N Series there wouldn't seem to be any up-front objection to extending the OEM relationship to add StorageGRID. HP has no such relationship with NetApp and may wish to terminate its StorageGRID OEM deal.

Over time the StorageGRID technology will be integrated into NetApp's ONTAP array operating system.

StorageGRID is available immediately in North America from NetApp with customer pricing obtainable directly from NetApp sales. ®