IBM Cloud Object Storage

Cloud Object Storage is service of storage of objects for a hybrid cloud.

2017: New features: storage of unchangeable data

In October, 2017 IBM updated a cloud service of object data storage of Cloud Object Storage. He became more attractive to clients which want that their information did not change and it was possible to increase the capacity of storages if necessary.

There is a set of the companies and organizations whose activity is strongly regulated by the state and different bodies: banks, hospitals, state agencies, etc. Because of regulation by it well small amount of options of inexpensive data storage in data centers.

IBM provided the data warehouse which cannot be changed

The problem is that regulators want that information was easily available to them, and at the same time it could not be changed or deleted. For these purposes IBM added a feature to save electronic records in not re-recorded and not subject to erasing format in Cloud Object Storage System.

Banks will be able to be operated the growing data archive with observance of regulatory requirements, at the same time trying to obtain significant savings and simplicity of operation, said in the statement of IBM devoted to updating of service.

Added to the companies that one of five largest American banks implemented a new feature to conform to requirements imposed by Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In Cloud Object Storage the technology addressed to those customers who would like to begin with small volumes of object data storage was also implemented and at the same time are going to scale storage.

In December, 2017 the companies will have an opportunity to use from 72 Tbyte of space within IBM Cloud Object Storage whereas the former minimum value was 300 Tbyte. If necessary users will be able to scale storage system to larger configurations. The innovation allows clients to use less hardware resources and it is better to conform to requirements to private cloud storages, declared in IBM.^[1]

2016: Announcement

On November 24, 2016 IBM provided a cloud service of object data storage of Cloud Object Storage. The technology is created after acquisition of Cleversafe company and its portfolio of patents.

According to the statement of the company, service changes the principles of security, availability and profitability of storage, management and ensuring access to arrays of digital information on hybrid clouds.

The service "storage as service" IBM Cloud Object Storage will help customers to accelerate and simplify scaling of large volumes of the unstructured data placed on the local systems and also in public and private clouds that will promote increase in flexibility and security of IT infrastructure.

Representation of IBM Cloud Object Storage, (2016)

The Cloud Object Storage technology is created on the SecureSlice platform from Cleversafe company and intended for storage and data management in IBM Cloud. Service is available round the clock and everywhere.

As customers continue to move the workloads connected with processing of large volumes of data to hybrid clouds there is a need to make process of storage and management of arrays of digital information safer and profitable. Start of new service will allow IBM to become the leading supplier of cloud solutions who offers customers flexibility and availability of object data storage as locally, and in public clouds. Robert Le Blanc, senior vice president of IBM Cloud

The SecureSlice technology is taken as a basis of IBM Cloud Object Storage - it combines enciphering, use of codes of redundancy (Erasure Coding) for bigger security and dispersal of information that in turn increases data availability. Product capabilities do not require expensive replication of data that increases profitability of service for the customer.

Security

• IBM combined use of the code of redundancy (Erasure Coding) with enciphering and decoding. When data come to the IBM Cloud Object Storage system, SecureSlice automatically ciphers each data segment before it are divided into fragments using the code of redundancy (Erasure Coding) and are distributed in a system. The ciphered data can be decoded and repeatedly collected by means of SecureSlice in several public and private endpoints of IBM Cloud which can be placed in DPCs, other than where data are originally obtained or processed.

Availability

• IBM Cloud Object Storage is capable to sustain critical failures in work, in regions, without loss of data access and need of intervention from the customer. Permanent system availability - an integral part of its architecture.

Profitability

• Hybrid opportunities of technology help Cloud Object service to reduce the total costs of support of cloud storage systems.

The IBM Cloud Storage Object service is presented in two public multi-user versions:

• Cross Region Service - sends the fragmented data at least to three geographically remote regions by means of the centers of storage and data processing of IBM Cloud.
• Regional Service – stores data in several DPCs in a certain region.

Both services provide SecureSlice support. Tools will fill up the system of IBM for local storage of objects of IBM Cloud Object Storage System and a service package of IBM Cloud Object Storage Dedicated Service.

All solutions IBM Cloud Object Storage, both external, and local support the Amazon S3 and OpenStack Swift interfaces for flexibility of programming.

The Cloud Object Storage service is available to corporate customers in all DPCs of IBM Cloud in the USA and Europe, since December, 2016 will become available in the Pacific Rim.