The latest version of the Purity 6.0 for FlashArray includes active disaster recovery built on new continuous replication technology to ensure the availability of critical data. Purity for FlashArray Is Pure Storage’ flagship suite of software for its storage-as-a-service platform.
‘Flexible consumption models represent the bedrock of Pure’s modern data experience,’ said Prakash Darji, general manager, FlashArray. ‘We’ve had the tremendous advantage of being purpose-built for the modern era -- our solutions are designed for massive amounts of data, to be fundamentally upgradeable without disruption, and to be compatible with future innovation so that our customers never have to wait for the latest tools. Purity 6.0 represents the next and most logical step in delivering that continued value to our customers - services that can be consumed in whatever way best fits the customer need at any given moment.’
The update also introduces new unified block and file capabilities on FlashArray which are designed to save customers the trouble and expense of running two incompatible environments. They are designed to simplify operations for organisations that primarily run block storage but still require or utilise separate network-attached storage. This enables customers to run all workloads within the Purity operating environment, leverage the same data layer, user-interface, pool of capacity, and data reduction capabilities.
Similarly, the new continuous replication feature, ActiveDR, helps Pure customers improve resiliency without the cost and complexity of third-party disaster recovery software add-ons. This new active-passive replication protects critical applications with a near-zero recovery point objective (RPO). RPO is a measure of the time between the backup and the live server. It represents the amount of data that could potentially be lost during a failure.
‘Pure Storage enables us to offer entirely new areas of service for our faculty, staff and students by continuously innovating with our modern set of IT problems in mind,’ said James Kelly, Senior systems administrator for research support at Chapman University. ‘The challenges we face are diverse, and require a diverse set of solutions. Purity 6.0 will allow us to solve critical problems in more—and more creative—ways. The unified SAN and NAS capabilities of this new FlashArray OS represent a game-changer for our highest-performance file-based workloads that otherwise need to run in all-block environments. It offers us a great way to cost-effectively run VDI or performance-critical file-based applications right alongside our key enterprise and research workloads in Pure's familiar, reliable, cloud-like operating environment.’
Enterprises with big data or machine learning requirements will still assign those workloads to FlashBlade, but for other use cases and for many smaller businesses FlashArray now addresses all data storage needs.
‘Managing each file server and its data in a consistent way can be cumbersome without shared storage between them. Compromising on performance or making similar infrastructure tradeoffs is not an option for modern organisations,’ said Jeff Fonke, global technical solutions architect, WWT. ‘We worked with Pure to beta test the file implementation in the WWT Advanced Technology Center (ATC), where we rely on a wealth of resources for testing OEM integration for new features. FlashArray affords our joint customers an uncompromising converged block and file solution capable of handling critical workloads and daily-use unstructured data.’
‘For Pure Storage, the introduction of native file system support on its FlashArray will be a boon for existing and new customers alike,’ said Eric Burgener, research vice president, IDC. ‘Now customers can cost-effectively consolidate multiple file servers onto this unified storage platform and get the all-flash performance, ease of use, and differentiating customer experience around which the vendor built its reputation with block-based workloads over the last decade.’
