Platform9 and MayaData Team Up on Kubernetes Storage

Platform9, a managed Kubernetes services provider, has teamed up with MayaData to make it easier to access persistent data on Kubernetes clusters. Platform9 has also added a Platform9 Managed Bare Metal service for remote provisioning of physical servers via its software-as-a-service (SaaS) management console.

MayaData’s enterprise edition, open source OpenEBS software, Kubera Propel, enables stateful applications to more easily access both dynamic local persistent volumes and replicated persistent volumes. OpenEBS, originally developed by MayaData, is now being advanced as a sandbox-level project under the auspices of the Cloud Native Computing Foundation (CNCF).

Madhura Maskasky, vice president of product for Platform9, says that, as more organizations deploy stateful applications at the network edge, demand is growing for managed service providers to manage these applications on their behalf. OpenEBS eases that process by running in user space, rather than requiring a plug-in. In effect, OpenEBS is managed much like any other Kubernetes application; which, in the case of Platform9, will make it possible to unify compute and storage management across multiple Kubernetes clusters.

MayaData CEO Evan Powell says it’s critical to use open source software to provide that capability because of the wide variety of potential platforms that need support. In many cases, given the large number of platforms that could be deployed, IT teams need to leverage the lowest-cost storage approach available, Powell adds.

A recent survey published by the CNCF finds 55% of respondents have now deployed stateful container applications in production, with another 11% planning to deploy them in the next 12 months. Another 12% are evaluating stateful container applications, according to the survey.

That shift suggests IT organizations are finally moving beyond solely employing containers and Kubernetes to run stateless applications. It is less clear the degree to which those stateful applications are being deployed in the cloud, on-premises IT environments or at the network edge. However, as more data is processed at the point of collection, the network edge, the need for persistent data on these platforms increases.

Regardless of where that persistent data resides, Platform9 is betting more organizations will be relying on MSPs to manage it. The cost of managing highly distributed computing platforms can be cost prohibitive for the average IT organization. There’s continued reluctance to dispatch personnel to physically manage edge computing platforms, since many of those IT teams continue to work from home. Platform9’s approach makes it simpler for IT teams to co-manage edge computing platforms alongside an MSP, adds Maskasky.

It’s too early to say how much data will be processed and stored at the network edge. What is clear, though, is that many of those edge computing platforms will be running Kubernetes. Who, precisely, will manage the fleets of Kubernetes clusters deployed across geographies is another issue that remains to be seen.

Mike Vizard

Mike Vizard is a seasoned IT journalist with over 25 years of experience. He also contributed to IT Business Edge, Channel Insider, Baseline and a variety of other IT titles. Previously, Vizard was the editorial director for Ziff-Davis Enterprise as well as Editor-in-Chief for CRN and InfoWorld.

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