Cloud as a Tier or Embedded Cloud for File Services

File services seem to be one of the natural use cases for organizations that are looking for ways to leverage the cloud as part of their IT infrastructures. A popular suggestion has been to use cloud storage as a tier for their unstructured data needs. File services are, after all, one of the more problematic areas for an organization. Going to the cloud as a tier may seem like a good strategy, but it may be pushing cloud storage beyond the practical limits of available bandwidth – as well as beyond the reality of what users need.

Instead, what IT Managers may want to consider is on-premise storage that “embeds the cloud”, or the ability to leverage cloud storage as a back end but still enjoy on-premise performance. This would allow users to leverage what each technology can best deliver. In this model the file services offering evolves from a standard on-premise file server that uses a second file server for cloud storage, to a storage controller that has the cloud embedded into the core of the solution. In this model organizations would reap the benefits of protected storage, unlimited capacity and local performance using best of breed technologies that seamlessly work together.

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