VAST Data Unveils Block Storage and Event Broker for Unified Data Management

VAST Data, a leading data platform company, has made a significant leap forward in unified data management with the introduction of block storage and a powerful new event streaming service called VAST Event Broker. This expansion completes VAST Data’s vision for the VAST DataStore, solidifying its position as a comprehensive solution for enterprise data needs.

Enhanced Universal Storage Platform

With the inclusion of block storage, VAST Data has broadened its data platform capabilities to encompass all major data types—files, objects, and blocks. This comprehensive approach not only simplifies data management for large-scale enterprises but also consolidates siloed infrastructure into a unified system. By offering robust enterprise data services such as snapshots, replication, multi-tenancy, QoS, encryption, and granular RBAC, VAST Data ensures data security and efficient resource management.

Real-Time Data Processing with VAST Event Broker

The introduction of VAST Event Broker enhances the data platform by integrating event streaming with structured analytics. Compatible with Apache Kafka, this service offers real-time data ingestion and processing, enabling organizations to leverage native querying of event topics via the VAST DataBase APIs. This integration allows for seamless real-time analytics, AI/ML pipelines, and event-driven workflows, streamlining the management of diverse data workloads.

Accelerating Real-Time Insights and AI Adoption

According to VAST Data, the new advancements make the VAST Data Platform the only exascale solution capable of linearly scaling parallel data access performance. By supporting every type of data—file, object, block, table, and streaming data—without compromising on performance, scalability, or economics, VAST Data empowers organizations to address all workloads within a unified architecture. This capability accelerates journeys towards real-time insights and seamless AI adoption.

Support for Virtualized and Containerized Workloads

The enhanced platform now supports environments such as VMware and Hyper-V, allowing IT teams to isolate workloads and streamline resource management across hundreds or thousands of VMs. For organizations using Kubernetes or Openshift, block storage enables persistent storage for containerized workloads, facilitating DevOps workflows, test environments, and production-grade applications.

Unifying Workloads for Efficiency

In modern enterprise environments, virtualized and containerized workloads often coexist, presenting challenges in managing disparate storage systems. The VAST Data Platform helps to eliminate this complexity by consolidating both workload types onto a single, unified storage architecture. This approach reduces operational overhead, simplifies provisioning, and enhances performance across diverse application environments.

Event-Driven Analytics and Data Streaming

By delivering an integrated Event Broker, VAST Data enables organizations to stream event logs to systems for real-time processing and publishing of telemetry data. This feature supports real-time training or inference in models, creating innovative and efficient workflows. The VAST Data Platform unifies real-time streaming, AI/ML, and analytical workloads, eliminating the need for multiple siloed systems.

Packaged Features for Optimal Performance

The VAST Event Broker offers a suite of features that enhance data management. These include power failure protection, independent scaling of storage and compute, built-in data reduction, enhanced observability tools for actionable insights, and automation of complex workflows. These capabilities ensure superior performance, scalability, and resilience.

Industry Validation

Gartner’s insights underscore the importance of multiprotocol storage platforms, which support multiple storage access protocols. These platforms are designed to meet the evolving needs of businesses, offering flexibility and seamless integration with diverse IT environments. VAST Data’s platform aligns with these principles, ensuring compatibility and adaptability in various application and user protocol preferences.

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^[1] Gartner, Stop Buying Storage, Embrace Platforms Instead, Julia Palmer, Jeff Vogel, Chandra Mukhyala, January 15, 2025

Conclusion

VAST Data’s expansion of its platform with block storage and the VAST Event Broker sets a new standard for enterprise data management. By offering a unified solution for real-time analytics, AI/ML, and multi-type data storage, VAST Data helps organizations simplify theirIT infrastructure while enhancing performance and scalability. This breakthrough aligns with industry trends and positions VAST Data as a leader in the next generation of data management solutions.

For more information about VAST Data and its innovative platform, visit their official website.