IBM Cloud Object Storage is a scalable, secure, and cost-efficient solution for storing unstructured data in the cloud or on-premises. It uses dispersed storage technology to store data across multiple sites ensuring high availability without the need for complex replication or RAID schemes. This allows IBM COS to manage petabytes or exabytes of data with a small number of administrators at a lower cost than traditional storage solutions which require more raw storage capacity and replication across multiple sites. IBM COS offers flexibility in deployment as either an integrated appliance, software-defined storage, or cloud service across private, hybrid, and public cloud environments.

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A new approach of cost efficient and self-resilient storage
Objective: this IBM Technical Expert Council France (TEC-F) Point of View presents a short summary of the of the Cloud
Object Storage technology.
Summary
Storage architectures are currently changing to new models. In the next 10 years, they will converge on two major technologies:
flash/SSD for high performance and transactional computing (for « hot » data with high requirements on I/O per second) and
Object Storage for other storage activities (“lukewarm” or “cold” data with less requirements on latencies).
Cloud Object Storage (COS) is the IBM solution that combines both agility, security and cost efficiency to store unstructured data.
It is a « Software Defined Storage » solution, which means it can be installed on commodity servers, that uses standard high-capacity
disks. It is also leveraging a dispersed storage technology disruptive vs. the traditional RAID and mirrored disk arrays models. IBM
Cloud Object Storage can easily reach tens of Petabytes or even Exabytes of managed storage in a single subsystem.
IBM Cloud Object Storage is currently available in 3 delivery modes: as an integrated Appliance, as a Software Defined Storage
solution, or in the Cloud (Private, Hybrid or Public).
Value proposition
The guiding principle of IBM COS conception, that already benefits to many existing users are:
• Scalability – capacity and/or performance can be increased at any time without service outages.
• Security – encryption at rest is embedded and provides governmental level compliance. In addition, due to data dispersion
algorithm, a single disk, or even a single a storage node is not storing enough information to retrieve the original data and
prevent from security breach. To simplify operations, encryption key management is embedded in the solution.
• Availability – no down time during software or hardware updates. Also, no downtime if a disk, a node or even a site
disaster.
• Simplicity – no RAID scheme or complex replication management. Several Petabytes can be managed with a limited
number of administrators (one of our current reference reports more than 700 PB managed with only 3 storage
administrators).
• Flexibility – of a storage solution that requires no specific or proprietary.
Storing 1 PB of data with a traditional storage solution
requires 3,6 PB of raw data on 3 sites.
With IBM COS, Geo-Dispersed algorithm used (also called
Information Dispersal Algorithm) will require only 1.7 PB of
RAW data while insuring an equivalent availability. If tens or
hundreds of PB are to be stored, the cost savings can be huge.
By the way, data security is guaranteed by the dispersion and
integrated encryption at rest.
0.56 PB
D.C.
0.56 PB
Paris
0.56 PB
Amsterdam
1.7 Po
Stockage Traditionnel
1 PB
IBM Cloud Object Storage
VS.
1.2 PB
D.C.
1.2 PB
Paris
1.2 PB
Amsterdam
3.6 Po
1 PB
Some references
IBM Cloud Object Storage on the WEB : https://www.youtube.com/user/Cleversafe/videos
For contacts and more information: join the TEC-F group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/8457887