Spectra Logic adds four-step reclamation for inactive flash data

By Nathan Brooks

Spectra Logic’s Storage Reclaim adds a four-step process for moving inactive file and object data off SSDs and disks, freeing installed capacity for active workloads. Qualified third-party movers sit alongside StorCycle in the product ecosystem.

The commercial trigger is higher flash cost. DDN, Hammerspace, Komprise, Scality, StorONE, WEKA, Vast Data and VDURA have already offered ways to move dated files and objects away from flash or reuse older SSDs. Spectra Logic has joined that response with Storage Reclaim.

Nathan Thompson said: “The cheapest flash you’ll ever buy is the flash you already own. Storage Reclaim shows organizations what is consuming their existing storage capacity and moves data that no longer requires premium performance.”

Thompson framed the product around organizations’ traditional response to rising storage needs: buying more capacity. He said the ecosystem includes Komprise, Starfish Storage and rclone, allowing customers to select the approach that best fits their environment.

What does Storage Reclaim do?

Storage Reclaim identifies inactive unstructured data on existing storage systems, including the least-used files and objects in a customer’s SSD and disk data estate. It moves qualifying data into an economical, protected tier while maintaining the visibility, access and recall required by the customer environment.

• Analyze: A read-only analysis measures how much data is inactive or infrequently accessed, using age and access patterns.
• Identify: Customer policies determine which data qualifies for migration from flash and disk to an economical, protected tier.
• Move and manage: StorCycle or an integrated data-management technology moves qualified data according to policy while preserving required visibility, access and recall.
• Reclaim: The process returns flash and disk capacity to active workloads, makes room for AI and future growth, and extends the life of storage already installed.

The workflow aims to free space without buying more capacity. The proposition sounds obvious, which is often how useful storage software presents itself.

What storage can it reach?

StorCycle is Spectra Logic’s file and object lifecycle-management software. It scans primary on-premises or public-cloud storage and moves older, less-accessed data into cheaper tiers, including nearline disk with NAS or object configurations, tape, and archive tiers in AWS and Azure.

Besides StorCycle, Spectra Logic qualifies Komprise, Starfish Storage and rclone as data movers within Storage Reclaim. Customers can use the mover suited to their deployment rather than a single software path.

Spectra Logic says its BlackPearl Object Gateway and tape storage provide the foundation for economical, protected long-term retention. BlackPearl operates as a hybrid flash-and-disk front-end cache, storing files as objects on back-end tape devices.

The TFinity tape-library line can hold an exabyte or more of data. Spectra Logic states that figure as product capacity; it does not represent a Storage Reclaim customer result. Any customer estimate depends on the metadata assessment.

Which systems can Storage Reclaim support?

George Wagner, Spectra Logic’s vice president of marketing, said Storage Reclaim supports “a range of existing file and object storage environments,” including NAS systems using SMB/CIFS and NFS protocols, as well as S3-compatible object storage.

He said the offering handles both on-premises and supported public-cloud storage sources. Compatibility depends on the selected mover, which can be StorCycle, Komprise, Starfish Storage or rclone.

How does the scan estimate reclaimable capacity?

Spectra Storage Analysis provides a one-time assessment using StorCycle software. It connects to existing storage systems and scans file metadata, including file age and size, to identify inactive data and estimate how much storage capacity could be reclaimed.

Third-party tools provide similar analysis through their own methods. The results help customers determine which data merits migration to lower-cost storage.

Any reclaimable-capacity figure remains an estimate derived from each estate, rather than a guaranteed percentage. Flash, disk and archive pricing will determine whether migration saves money.

Economically, the offer resembles moving seldom-used cartons from a busy loading dock to a warehouse: useful space returns without building another dock.

What should infrastructure teams test?

Infrastructure teams facing a capacity, refresh or budget decision can use the assessment to test Storage Reclaim against their installed base. Buyers must compare migration and management costs with the value of retained flash capacity.

As flash costs rise and rivals pursue the same cold-data market, Storage Reclaim must show a measurable saving when customers keep flash capacity in service.