HGST Launches Turnkey Object Storage System

HGST (formerly Hitachi Global Storage Technologies), a Western Digital company, announced its Active Archive System, an object storage system that enables businesses to easily store, retain, and use data.

Positioned as a fully integrated, turnkey object storage system, HGST says, it packs 4.7 petabytes into a 42U rack with networking, servers and 8TB second-generation HelioSeal hard drives. It then adds object storage software along with an Amazon S3-compliant object storage interface for integrating existing S3-aware applications, according to the company. Fed only with power and network, HGST says, the Active Archive system is meant to be an easy out-of-the-box solution that features extreme rack density, resiliency, and access at petabyte scale.

The company says that Amplidata object storage software serves as the foundation for the Active Archive system. HGST acquired Amplidata last month.

"Today, HGST has delivered on its strategy to expand into higher-value storage platforms and systems," John Rydning, research vice president at IDC, said in a statement. "HGST has intersected a critical juncture in the market as companies look to accelerate the rollout of third platform solutions. The plug-and-play simplicity of an integrated hardware platform matched with the strategic acquisition of Amplidata’s object cloud storage software has resulted in an innovative solution that addresses the rapidly evolving needs of cloud service providers and data-intensive organizations."