Kasten by Veeam's K10 platform can now use Backblaze's B2 cloud storage as a backup target for Kubernetes data, a market niche that analysts expect to grow as more developers adopt the orchestration software.
Backblaze's B2 platform provides S3-compatible object storage for Kasten by Veeam, a Kubernetes backup program. Backblaze storage enables backups of stateful Kubernetes applications and ransomware protection with immutable object lock, and can follow corporate regulatory compliance demands.
The continued popularity of Kubernetes, especially among developers, will likely require more companies to consider backup strategies and partners for container applications, said Krista Macomber, a senior analyst at Evaluator Group.
"A lot of conversations we're having with customers are why [their] container environments need to be protected, what are some unique characteristics [they] need to consider, and what will be the best strategy," Macomber said. "What we are seeing is Kubernetes supporting mission-critical applications. There are going to be instances where you'll need to roll the environment back to a certain point in time."
Krista Macomber
Compared with other backup targets, such as AWS or Microsoft Azure, Backblaze has no minimum retention requirements and offers flat storage and download charges, according to Nilay Patel, vice president of sales at Backblaze.
The partnership with Kasten by Veeam is just one of many services connected to Backblaze's storage service. The number of services available to Backblaze customers continues to grow, including cloud compute service Vultr and edge cloud service Fastly, according to Patel.
Backblaze charges $.005 per gigabyte for storage, calculated hourly and billed monthly, and charges $.01 per gigabyte for downloads. The storage company primarily targets small to midsize enterprise customers, according to Patel.
Backblaze's push for new partnerships follows the company's IPO in November, when it stated it planned to use new investments for expanding brand visibility, increasing the number of data centers and seeking new vendor partnerships.
The partnership between Backblaze and Veeam also follows a similar deal with Cloudian HyperStore object storage for Kubernetes backups. Hyperstore, however, targets on-premises object storage versus Backblaze's cloud storage.
Kubernetes pioneers
Kasten was one of the earliest Kubernetes data protection products: Founded in 2017, the company emerged alongside other early backup services such as TrilioVault for Kubernetes and Portworx PX-Backup.
Kubernetes storage services will remain popular targets for acquisitions in the years to come, Macomber said. Larger platforms will seek a turnkey solution for Kubernetes backups or attempt to develop their own, such as Dell EMC's PowerProtect Data Manager.
There's a natural inclination for customers to go with vendors they're already working with.
Krista MacomberSenior analyst, Evaluator Group
"There's a natural inclination for customers to go with vendors they're already working with," she said. "This adoption is driven by developers that don't have the best sense of what true enterprise protection capabilities are. IT is left to figure out how to integrate [container protection] into their data strategy."
Veeam was one of the first companies to specialize in offering backup services for virtual machines more than a decade ago, making its investment in Kasten similarly forward thinking, according to Macomber.
"What Veeam is trying to do is have an expansion strategy and expand their footprint across customers and environments," she said. "With containers being on the rise and really one of the next big infrastructure [challenges], Veeam wanted to be sure it was ahead of that curve."
Tim McCarthy is a journalist living in the North Shore of Massachusetts. He covers cloud and data storage news.
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Krista Macomber
