05 April 2018

Cloudian and Infinity Storage previously worked together on the Cloudian HyperFile NAS controller seen here.

Cloudian has acquired Milan-based software-defined file storage specialist Infinity Storage. The value of the deal has not been disclosed.

With Infinity’s technology, Cloudian says it now offers customers integrated file and object-based storage solutions that consolidate all unstructured data types into a “limitlessly scalable” storage pool. 

The firm reckons this results in simple storage management that reduces total cost of ownership by more than 70 per cent when compared with traditional multi-silo NAS systems. 

The acquisition is the culmination of an existing relationship between Infinity and Cloudian. The companies previously worked together to launch the Cloudian HyperFile NAS controller which is designed to deliver enterprise-class file services from Cloudian HyperStore. 

Cloudian CEO Michael Tso says: “This acquisition further accelerates Cloudian’s efforts to reduce IT workloads with self-protecting and easy-to-scale file systems that analysts agree are critical for next-generation storage management.”

He adds that Infinity brings “deep” technology expertise to the table. Infinity Storage’s founder, Caterina Falchi, is claimed to be an inventor of the WORM (write-once-read-many) file system that provides jukebox file management and transparent access to data within this protected environment. Falchi joins Cloudian as VP of file technologies.

Earlier in February, Cloudian separately announced a $125m joint venture with Digital Alpha to accelerate adoption of its enterprise object storage systems. Digital Alpha will also support the development of a partnership between Cloudian and Cisco Systems, covering relevant data-centre architectures.