EMC first introduced the "CAS" term when it launched its Centera disk-based repository for fixed content -- data that's created and then never modified -- in April 2002 (see EMC Has Eyes for Huge Archives).
But according to Permabit, its own CAS product overcomes Centera's major weaknesses. Permeon doesn't require any changes to the applications accessing it, while Centera uses a proprietary interface. In addition, the startup boasts that Permeon can be deployed in a smaller initial configuration: It starts at $32,000 for a 1.6-Tbyte system ($20 per gigabyte), whereas EMC's Centera starts at $148,000 for 8 terabytes.
"We're not disruptive -- we don't require customers to buy new applications -- and we can be purchased in an incremental way," Vito says.
Other vendors, including Avamar Inc., Network Appliance Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP), and Storage Technology Corp. (StorageTek) (NYSE: STK), are also delivering disk-based systems for storing data that previously would have been dumped to tape (see our report, Disk Backup 101).
To lead the fight against EMC, Permabit recently hired as CEO Randy Seidl, who spent 11 years as a sales and marketing executive at EMC. We're told that he was EMC Employee No. 33 -- but maybe Permabit's customers won't hold that against him.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
