Edge-to-Cloud File Services for Cisco HyperFlex

Hyperconvergence is an appealing option for enterprises that have traditionally managed multiple applications across multiple servers. HCI solutions such as Cisco HyperFlex consolidate infrastructure into a single system that reduces costs and make everything easier to manage.

Increasingly as part of this shift, we are seeing customer demand for modern file services integrated into HCI platforms to provide cloud data management capabilities including remote file storage and data tiering. This demand is specifically tied to enterprises seeking to modernize legacy network-attached storage (NAS) and file servers in the face of unrelenting unstructured data capacity challenges and the costs associated with keeping up.

Cisco HyperFlex and CTERA are driving this emerging enterprise use case with a new joint solution that unifies hyperconverged edge computing with edge-to-cloud file services and multi-cloud data management. It’s everything needed for the distributed enterprise from the edge (remote sites) to the core (data center).

The CTERA Edge Filer facilitates multi-cloud tiering and multisite collaboration for remote sites. It replaces traditional NAS and file servers, connecting siloed data islands at the edge into a single namespace. It is deployed as a virtual instance on the HyperFlex platform, or as a physical appliance in a Remote Office or Remote Branch (ROBO) or at the data center.

Users have access to familiar-looking CIFS/NFS file share access and home directories, but all data changes are automatically synchronized with the customer’s data center, without worry over complicated backup processes or disaster recovery plans. CTERA Edge Filers are caching-enabled, allowing distributed enterprises to tier or archive ROBO file data storage into a cost-efficient private cloud storage repository, or a global file system, accessible from any location.

And for organizations managing virtual desktops, the Cisco HyperFlex-CTERA solution offers a high-performance and highly resilient alternative to traditional VDI deployments.

In this case, the HyperFlex appliance serves as the local storage target for VDI clients and exposes a CIFS connection to user desktops and profiles to deliver a high-performance user file experience. Another significant benefit is cost savings. With local and cloud deduplication reducing storage capacity requirements and multi-cloud data tiering capabilities, the solution can drive a big impact on the ROI and the performance of a VDI deployment.

Learn More

The solution described above has been certified in Cisco testing labs. You can read further about the testing and use case in the new Cisco solution brief Implementing SMB File Services on Cisco HyperFlex Using CTERA.

CTERA at Cisco Live EMEA

The CTERA team is excited to head out to Cisco Live EMEA in Barcelona to showcase our solutions. As part of the Cisco Investments portfolio, we will have a booth in the Investment Pavilion in addition to the World of Solutions. Visit CTERA at the following locations to learn more about edge-to-cloud file services with Cisco HyperFlex.

Schedule a meeting at Cisco Live EMEA with CTERA.

CTERA’s Investments Village booth: #CIV-04A