Editor's note
Object-based storage can manage large volumes of unstructured data more effectively than traditional file-based storage. Unlike traditional storage methods, object storage manages data as objects in a flat structure. This allows it to be highly scalable, which enables organizations to grow their storage as needed rather than having to buy large amounts of capacity upfront.
An object-based storage platform is a good fit when retaining a large number of data elements, including single files, images, videos, archival information or sensor data. It can also aggregate and manage secondary storage applications, such as backup and recovery applications and cloud-based archival. Object storage use cases include storing data in the cloud, secure file sharing and big data analytics.
Before you invest in a third-party object storage platform, it is important to determine what features and options the various object-based storage systems offer and to assess how they match your organization's needs. For example, would your organization benefit from deploying a hardware- or software-based object storage platform or a combination of both? Does your site intend to integrate its data with the public cloud? What type of data encryption protection do you need?
This guide helps you answer these questions and simplify the product selection process by providing a comparison of products from the leading object storage vendors. Using extensive research into the object storage market, TechTarget editors focused on well-established storage vendors that sell both object storage software and appliances. Our research included data from TechTarget surveys, as well as reports from other respected research firms, including Gartner.
A roundup of these products provides an in-depth look at how each object storage platform is deployed and licensed, in addition to how the product interfaces with the cloud and which workloads it will support. Using this information, you can compare the specific offerings to find the object-based storage platform that will best meet your organization's needs.
1Making object technology part of your storage portfolio
A good way to determine if this technology would be a good fit for your organization is to examine the use cases presented here.
2What to look for when buying an object storage system
All object-based storage systems store general unstructured data, but systems differ by access method, how they integrate with the public cloud and how they are deployed. Learn what features and functionality you should look for in an object storage platform.
3Assessing which object storage platform best fits your needs
The leading object storage vendors, including Dell EMC, Hitachi Data Systems and Scality, have unique capabilities that can support the storage requirements of today's data-driven organizations.
4What the leading object-based storage systems offer
Products from the leading object storage vendors offer a variety of features and deployment options, including software, hardware or a combination of both.