Pure Storage backup data replicates to Cohesity disk

All-flash vendor Pure Storage is teaming with converged data protection startup Cohesity to enable tiered storage of array-based snapshots.

Customers can replicate primary storage snapshots between FlashArray//M all-flash arrays and archive Pure Storage backup copies on the Cohesity DataPlatform.

Cohesity handles end-to-end data management and orchestration of Pure Storage backups via a native plugin. Pure imposes no additional charge for the converged data protection, although existing customers need to purchase a separate license from Cohesity.

Typically, a Pure Storage customer deploys Cohesity appliances in the same data center as Pure’s FlashArray storage. Cohesity allows instant recovery with local snapshots and a tertiary tier of public cloud storage for inactive data.

The Cohesity integration supports Pure customers with centralized backup across various endpoints and data sources, said Matt Koexmiller, Pure’s vice president of marketing and product development.

“Customers are looking to modernize every tier. This provides extensive integration between our all-flash storage and modern secondary storage,” Koexmiller said.

The Cohesity DataPlatform quiesces an application to ensure application-consistent snapshots for accurate point-in-time recovery. Cohesity sells it as a virtual storage appliance or on CS2000 hybrid hyper-converged data protection nodes.

Cohesity eventually will be extended to handle Pure Storage backups on its FlashBlade converged arrays, Koexmiller said.

“Customers historically back up from disk to disk to tape. We see the modern version of that workflow being flash to flash to cloud,” Koexmiller said.

The addition of Cohesity extends the use cases for Pure Storage backup data, said Henry Baltazar, research director for storage at analyst firm 451 Research.

“This is a nice complementary play,” Baltazar said. “Pure Storage doesn’t have a secondary cheap-and-deep backup layer. The rule of thumb is that active data accounts for 20% of your storage. Inactive data accounts for the other 80%. What Cohesity does is help extract value out of your secondary data.”