Storage silo unification from file sharer ownCloud

Life is full of companies that do (too) many things in a shoddy way

Just? JUST?

El Reg: Is ownCloud just a file access layer control product across heterogeneous file storage products and services?

Markus Rex: I am almost offended by the term “just”. It is very hard to be a layer across heterogeneous file storage products and services. ownCloud is not a “just”. It is a “wow”. We are that but this actually is a pretty darn cool thing to do when you do it right and get rid of the complexity. This is close to rocket science. We are that darn good.

El Reg: Does ownCloud offer like protection services, such as back-up? If not, why not?

Markus Rex: No, we don’t offer file protection services for a very simple reason – and it is the same reason why we don’t offer mobile device management or content management. We want to focus on giving the end user the best possible experience with their files. If we add those other options, we will become a lukewarm copy of another firm that does a really good job of that and then we will do a worse job at what we want to be known for. This is really about focus for us.

But, when you look at Datto, they just integrated ownCloud into their back-up appliance to add file sharing. I like this – I want to be good at one thing instead of mediocre at many things. Life is full of companies that do (too) many things in a shitty way.

El Reg: Does ownCloud offer file data management services, such as moving older files to cheaper storage? If not, why not?

Markus Rex: I consider this question very interesting. We don’t offer this right now but we provide all the APIs needed for someone to write the plug-in to provide this. We are set up in a way that the end user will never notice that the files are being moved. The admin can do this completely in the background and there is no need to retrain any user. We even have partners working on this right now. Here, I say “stay tuned” and keep an eye on ownCloud.

El Reg: Why should customers choose ownCloud instead of DropBox or Box or as a “control layer” above them?

Markus Rex: I think this is an apples and oranges comparison. If you care about data ownership, this is a non-question. If you don’t mind adding additional data silos, sure go ahead. This also means if you don’t mind loading your users up with new complexity, sure go ahead, but, if you want to make it simple for your end users, well, don’t create another data silo for them to deal with.

El Reg: How do you compare and contrast ownCloud and Primary Data?

Markus Rex: Primary Data is a tool that admins use to maximize their storage utilisation. ownCloud is the tool that admins use to give end users easier access to their files. This combination is very powerful and complementary.

El Reg: What about products like those from Egnyte?

Markus Rex: Egnyte has a control plane in the cloud, combined with cloud-based storage and on-premise storage. It is not particularly flexible or integratable into the infrastructure of the company that is using it.

ownCloud, on the other hand, is about bridging silos, integrating into the existing environment without compromising security or compliance. If a hard problem needs to be solved, the solution is just a plugin away.

El Reg: How would you compare and contrast ownCloud with Druva?

Markus Rex: Users hate converged data protection services because they make it too hard for them to get to the data they need to do their jobs. Users love solutions that provide easy, seamless, frictionless access to the files that they need – yet still give IT administrators the control and visibility they need to manage corporate data (although end users don’t really care about that part.)

El Reg: We wanted definitive and clear positioning info about ownCloud and that's exactly what we got, plus it was entertaining too. Thank you Marcus. ®