New Dell EMC ECS Software and Hardware Innovation Helps You Do More with Data

Object storage is quickly climbing its way to the top of the priority list for IT decision makers.

For the uninitiated, object storage is an approach that addresses data storage as discrete units, called objects, and grants an application freedom to store an unlimited amount of data in a flat namespace versus a file hierarchy. Without getting too deep into the weeds, object-based solutions are one of the best ways to deal with endless data growth, at a price that won’t blow your budget out of the water. So, as data from applications, websites, video cameras, IoT sensors, and the like continue to pile up, choosing the right system to capture and make this data available is of paramount importance.

Dell EMC ECS is the right object storage platform to meet the needs of organizations now, and in the future. With a storied legacy of enterprise-class innovation, Dell EMC ECS boasts unmatched scalability, manageability, resilience, and economics to meet the demands of modern business.

Today, we make Dell EMC ECS more powerful and build on our long legacy of innovation with new hardware and software updates.

Dell EMC ECS EX500 Appliance

The perfect blend of economy and density, the EX500 injects greater flexibility into the Dell EMC ECS portfolio. With rack capacity that can scale from 480TB to 4.6PB, the EX500 is a versatile option for midsized enterprises supporting both modern applications or deep archive use cases.

Key Dell EMC ECS EX500 specifications include:

◈ Clusters ranging from 480TB to 4.6PB per rack
◈ Front-accessible and hot-pluggable drives
◈ Improved performance via dual, 10-core processors
◈ Scale-out nodes:
    ◈ Up to 16 nodes per rack
    ◈ 12 to 24 drives per node
    ◈ 8TB and 12TB disk options
    ◈ Identical performance characteristics with every node

The EX500 joins its EX300 and EX3000 brethren as the latest member of the ECS hardware family.

Dell EMC ECS Software Version 3.4

In addition to the EX500, Dell EMC is also releasing version 3.4 of the ECS software simultaneously. Dell EMC ECS version 3.4 features various improvements that empower organizations to:

◈ Ensure enterprise-readiness with capabilities such as advanced STIG hardening, external key management support, custom alerts, and additional security features.

◈ Enhance data visibility through improved monitoring metrics and native Grafana data visualization capabilities. With 3.4, it’s easier than ever to make accurate forecasts and act on capacity alerts.

◈ Improve storage efficiency via reduced metadata overhead per object. This increases usable capacity and delivers greater cost savings.

◈ Deploy EX500 appliances. ECS version 3.4 is required to make the full range of EX-series hardware functional, specifically the EX500.

“Dell EMC ECS is our platform of choice for dealing with growing data challenges in our customer environments and is a great fit for our Hybrid-Cloud offering. It’s cost-effective, easy to scale, and our developers love how simple it is to integrate with using ECS’s open APIs and multi-protocol support.” said Barry Silic, Head of Architecture and Product at Macquarie Cloud Services. “We look forward to the new EX500 appliance and the many security improvements coming in the 3.4 version of the software. ECS has helped us deliver IT transformation for our customers and we believe it will continue to do so in the future.”