Storage

Cloudian introduces full Kubernetes support with Kubernetes S3 Operator

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Kubernetes S3 Operator provides full Kubernetes portability which meets the needs of both DevOps and production workloads, while cutting costs up to 60%.

Today, object storage vendor Cloudian is announcing full support for Kubernetes with  its new Cloudian Kubernetes S3 Operator.  The Kubernetes S3 Operator is a plug-in which gives developers a self-service tool to dynamically provision Cloudian S3-compatible object storage from within their container-based applications. Previously, Cloudian’s support for Kubernetes had been limited to being a scale-out backup target through software tools like VMware Velero and MayaData Kubera.

“Our new support for Kubernetes will let customers use the Kubernetes S3 Operator to take advantage of Cloudian with container-based applications,” said Sanjay Jagad, Senior Director of Products and Solutions at Cloudian. “They like the idea of bringing S3 APIs in Kubernetes so that they are portable.”

Jagad emphasized that traditional SAN and NAS storage lacks the flexibility and high-level, API-driven infrastructure that Kubernetes and other cloud-native workloads require.

“Cloud native applications, with their combination of multiple services have changed the environment, but traditional storage itself, which was not designed for Kubernetes, has not changed,” he said. “Having data in one location limits stateful application agility. Kubernetes applications need cloud-like storage access, and that’s what enterprises want.

“Today, CSI-based object plug-ins are the most common way of providing this connectivity,” Jagad added. “But they connect to expensive SAS and NAS and have limited scalability. The alternative is to go with an intermediate layer with a S3 gateway, which also has limited scalability. Those were the two alternatives for customers. Most would use the CSI-based method, because it is standardized, but the challenge is most are still file and block storage, so it’s a poor fit.”

The Cloudian Kubernetes S3 Operator is a self-service, lightweight API-driven solution, that provides cloud-like storage access without the need for gateways or translation layers, while simultaneously meeting the needs of both DevOps and production workloads.

“A major challenge here is that DevOps teams want agility and a portable API-driven framework that focuses on applications, while Infrastructure and Operations Managers want security, scalability resilience and affordability,” Jagad said. “We stop having to make an ‘either-or’ choice. We also provide a 60% TCO savings versus traditional enterprise and public cloud storage.”

The Kubernetes S3 Operator provides an API-driven management environment to quickly provision S3-compatible object storage, without the need for gateways or translation layers.

“The S3 Operator simplifies provision of buckets and policies around that,” Jagad stated. “Like any CSI plug-in, it lets you provision new buckets and mount existing buckets. You can also dictate policies like replica erasure coding, and tiering to public cloud, while seamlessly moving around containers with application portability across multiple sites and multiple clouds.”

Jagad said that this kind of solution will only accelerate Kubernetes adoption in production environments further.

“A lot of people are still playing with it, but they have not moved completely into production,” he indicated. “That’s because they need the right storage, and this will enable that.”

For channel partners, the Cloudian S3 Operator will significantly expand the market.

“The story here is bringing value,” Jagad said. “The channel’s biggest problem today is competing against cloud and wanting to be part of that story. This lets them sell the value of Cloudian as a platform, not just for legacy applications, but cloud-native ones as well.”