OpSource Digs Heels Into Cloud Storage

With the launch of its first cloud storage offerings, OpSource is going after cloud computing big dogs like Amazon and Rackspace to round out its suite of cloud products.

OpSource Cloud Files, which the Santa Clara, Calif.-based vendor officially released on Monday, was built to deliver security and control while eliminating the high costs associated with cloud storage, backup and archival. Treb Ryan, OpSource CEO, said Cloud Files is available in a pay-as-you-go model that stays true to form with the controls available in OpSource Cloud.

Originally devised as an add-on to OpSource Cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS), Cloud Files storage is available independently of OpSource Cloud and can be used as a stand-alone product. Cloud Files is accessible through the OpSource Cloud user interface or through a REST-based API.

What sets Cloud Files apart from the pack, Ryan said, is that it offers both in-flight 128-bit SSL encryption and at rest 256-bit AES encryption to ensure data is secure. It also gives new controls to users, meaning administrators can set usage quotas with role-based permissions to control how much space any group or department gets to meet their storage needs. As part of that, different user names and passwords can be used as a part of one account, while Amazon does not support multiple users per account.

Additionally, OpSource Cloud Files lets companies create unlimited storage accounts. The launch of OpSource’s first cloud-based storage offering comes just months after the cloud infrastructure player unveiled its official partner program.

Ryan said OpSource’s cloud competition doesn’t offer the level of security and control OpSource Cloud Files unlocks. He said Rackspace encrypts data in flight, but not at rest, meanwhile Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) is unencrypted. Another feather in the cap of OpSource is that Cloud Files has no file size limits, while Amazon and Rackspace put a size cap on files over 5 GB, Ryan said.

Next: OpSource Outlines Savings

OpSource cloud files starts at 15 cents per GB, per month for the first 50 TB per month, with volume discounts, which is the industry average for pricing. Ryan, however, said savings come into play with inbound data transfers, which Amazon will start charging 10 cents per GB for starting June 30. Ryan said OpSource doesn’t charge for ’puts and gets,’ meaning OpSource offers free bandwidth in, and charges for bandwidth when files are retrieved.

’For certain applications, this can be half of your total bill,’ he said. ’We don’t charge for puts and gets.’

Currently, Cloud Files, which is built with back-end software and front-end APIs from Mezeo, is available in beta.

’The power and flexibility of the cloud are limitless, and so is its storage capacity,’ Ryan said. ’Cloud storage is the perfect way for companies to offload IT headaches, streamline their operational processes, and save money. We’ve listened to our customers’ needs and with OpSource Cloud Files we are delivering the features that enterprises have been waiting for to move their archival data to the cloud.’