SUSE Enterprise Storage 6: SUSE aims to simplify data management and lower costs

SUSE presented the new version of Enterprise Storage, which now reaches the sixth incarnation. As the name suggests, this is a version of Linux dedicated to storage, built around the Ceph technology. Ceph is an Open-Source platform for storage which, compared to proprietary solutions, has the advantage of running on standard hardware (so it does not require specific platforms) and of replicating and distributing data on multiple servers.

In a very imprecise but effective way, we could define it as a sort of RAID-0 array distributed on multiple servers instead of on multiple hard disks. Ceph supports both self-healing and self-managing, greatly simplifying the life of network administrators.

” SUSE makes possible the digital transformation by means of agile open source solutions like SUSE Enterprise Storage that allow companies to innovate, compete and grow without stopping “.

– declared Brent Schroeder, CTO Americas of SUSE –

” We work in contact with the community for develop innovative open source technologies that we then test and strengthen to make sure they are enterprise-ready Our goal is to transform the storage infrastructure of companies with a truly open and unified intelligent software-defined storage solution that can break down costs and reduce constraints on proprietary hardware for customers. SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 reflects SUSE’s ongoing commitment to make Ceph usable in enterprise environments. ”

What are the benefits of SUSE Enterprise Storage 6?

The goal of this new version is to allow those who use it to adapt quickly to the constantly changing needs. In practice, this means that companies that adopt it can do without binding to a specific manufacturer of hardware and, above all, software: SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 makes it possible to rely on public cloud resources, often cheaper and less binding than to other solutions.

From the point of view of the network administrator, the advantage is that of being able to move resources with ease from one point to another and to be able to scale easily when the needs demand it.

Who is SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 for?

Among the customers of SUSE Enterprise Storage, there is also the University of Maine, which uses it on one of its HPC dedicated to research programs. ” SUSE Enterprise Storage has already produced undisputed improvements for our deep learning projects, one of which required the presence of two million files within the same directory “.

– explained Steve Cousins, supercomputer engineer of the University of Maine –

” Inserting these files into SUSE Enterprise Storage has improved performance by over ten times compared to the previous storage solution, thanks to the stability and ease of management of the SUSE solution we have been able to significantly reduce the time spent managing live and archived data. Our team free to focus on creating new value for the university and for its sophisticated research projects “.

According to Amita Potnis, Research Director of IDC’s Enterprise Infrastructure Practice, ” The great attention that SUSE has dedicated to cloud and containers within SUSE Enterprise Storage 6 is in line with the direction that companies are following today. Companies are transforming their IT infrastructures to take advantage of cloud technology, while having to deal with the growing volumes of data that at the same time favor and slow down innovation, SUSE software-defined storage solutions will facilitate this transformation by eliminating obstacles, simplifying integration with the cloud and speeding up innovation to allow companies to meet changing business needs ”.