StorONE version 4.0 lets active arrays power tiering

StorONE has released Version 4.0 of its storage platform, allowing existing third-party all-flash arrays to serve as the flash tier in its real-time tiering system.

The update expands an earlier approach that already let customers use spare flash resources and retired systems within the same architecture. Under the new version, organisations can also assign capacity from active production all-flash arrays, while StorONE-managed hard disk drive capacity serves as the lower-cost tier.

Applications continue to see a single volume, while the software moves active and inactive blocks between flash and hard disk in real time. StorONE said this happens at block-level granularity and is aimed at active storage environments rather than archive-focused tiering.

The release comes as flash storage costs remain well above hard disk pricing and delivery times for new hardware have lengthened. StorONE said flash now costs about 15 times more than hard disk drives and that procurement lead times for new flash hardware can range from nine to 15 months.

That backdrop has pushed storage buyers to look more closely at assets already installed in their data centres. Many organisations have unused flash capacity in active arrays, spare solid-state drives, unused NVMe resources or systems nearing retirement that can still be repurposed.

Using existing assets

Version 4.0 is designed to bring those resources into a single tiered environment without requiring another flash hardware purchase. In practice, an organisation can carve out part of an all-flash array for the higher-speed tier and pair it with lower-cost hard disk capacity managed by StorONE.

StorONE said the result can be up to nine times more effective storage from existing flash investments. The software also continues to provide services including replication, encryption, immutable snapshots and data protection.

The release comes as infrastructure teams weigh how to allocate capital between core systems and newer workloads such as artificial intelligence. Storage suppliers have increasingly argued that buyers should improve utilisation of installed equipment before adding capacity, particularly while supply chains remain tight and component prices elevated.

StorONE positioned the update as part of a broader shift from focusing only on total cost of ownership to looking more closely at return on assets. It cited external research suggesting that IT departments are under pressure to get more business value from infrastructure already on the books.

Market pressure

Storage tiering is not new, but much of the older market has been built around moving colder data into cheaper archive environments. StorONE said its real-time tiering system was designed for active workloads that need continuous movement between storage media while still appearing as one volume to applications.

The platform also supports multiple storage protocols and is designed to run across different servers, media types and cloud environments. That flexibility underpins StorONE's argument that customers can reduce dependence on constrained flash supply chains by making broader use of what they already own.

Gal Naor placed the launch in the context of earlier shifts in storage design. "I've had the privilege of helping drive one major shift in enterprise storage before. At Storwize, we challenged the belief that primary storage couldn't deliver meaningful capacity reduction, and the industry eventually embraced that change," said Gal Naor, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, StorONE.

Naor said a similar shift is now needed in how buyers think about flash consumption. "Today, we're at a similar inflection point, challenging another long-held assumption, that the answer to growing storage demand is buying more flash. It isn't. As flash becomes more constrained and more expensive, organizations need to get dramatically more value from the flash they already own," said Naor.

Version 4.0 also includes other storage services beyond all-flash array integration. Customers using the release can continue to access more than 100,000 immutable snapshots per volume, alongside replication, encryption and advanced data protection.

For data centre operators, the immediate significance lies in whether software-led pooling can defer spending on scarce flash hardware. StorONE's central claim is that active arrays already in production can now do double duty as part of a broader tiered storage design, extending the useful life and reach of installed flash capacity.