Hybrid Storage is defined as a blending of two disparate storage platforms into one intelligent and efficient system. Just as a hybrid automobile combines a high performance gas motor and an efficient electric motor to provide better overall flexibility and resource usage, hybrid storage combines a high performance storage platform and an economical, efficient storage platform to achieve the same goal.

The reason for hybrid storage:
Corporate data centers are experiencing unprecedented data growth. Maintaining these large data sets with current technology is presenting many difficulties to IT managers. Among the main challenges are keeping up with storage growth amid tight budgets, maintaining backup and recovery service levels, managing exploding utility costs, and providing users with rapid access to critical data when they need it most.

How hybrid storage solves the “online"? data problem:
Up to 80% of the data that resides on high cost/high performance production storage systems has not been accessed or modified in over a year. Yet this data remains intermingled with current production data – usurping disk space (and, thus, consuming energy), dampening performance, and clogging backup and recovery cycles.

A hybrid storage platform provides an alternative location to store this infrequently accessed data – freeing up capacity on expensive production systems. The hybrid storage tier maintains online access to data while minimizing acquisition cost, energy consumption, ongoing maintenance, and eliminating backup.

How hybrid storage solves the “offline"? data problem:
Currently, when data is taken offline, it is most likely written to tape and placed in an onsite or offsite vault. When a user requests the data, it invokes the manual process of retrieving the tape and restoring the data. Not only is this process cumbersome, but tapes are also inherently unreliable. Because tapes are mechanical and magnetic, they require regular maintenance and are susceptible to degradation and failure over time – putting data at risk.

A hybrid storage platform eliminates the manual data recovery process by bringing legacy data back online, where it is directly accessible to users. Also, the hybrid tier incorporates storage platforms that are much more reliable than offline tape – significantly reducing the risk of data loss.

Hybrid File Systems

The PowerFile hybrid storage appliances, at their most basic level, blend two distinct storage platforms, leveraging the strengths of both to maximize functionality and value. Integral to this blending function is ArcOS™, the PowerFile intelligent file system. Just as Toyota branded its Hybrid Synergy Drive™ as the brains managing which engine (gas or electric) should power the wheels, ArcOS manages which platform (performance or economy) contains data and when. Since the file system is at the heart of what it means to be hybrid, this is where PowerFile places the main thrust of their engineering and innovation.

In the PowerFile appliance the performance Platform is based on standard SATA disk drives, also referred to as the cache and the Economy platform is based on Blu-Ray DVD technology which provides high volume, low cost efficient storage with a 50 year shelf life.