EMC Atmos: Storage as a Service for Windows and Linux Clouds

EMC has released version 1.1 of the Atmos Cloud Delivery Platform, a storage-as-a-service solution that allows enterprises and cloud services providers to better manage metering and reporting. Plus, a related EMC GeoDrive release now has cross-platform support for Windows and Linux. As a result, the cloud delivery platform can be up and running in a matter of minutes, according to EMC Senior Director of Product Marketing and Management Jon Martin.

According to EMC:

“Atmos users will now have a simpler installation process in addition to more metering services, store visibility and reporting and control functions,” Martin added. Cloud services providers and enterprise managers can use Atmos to edit user profiles, suspend, restore, cancel or completely close user accounts when an employee leaves a company, and view a detailed history of a user’s activity, EMC says.

EMC also claims CSPs can use Atmos to brand their own storage-as-a-service offering even more quickly than before. The additional benefit for enterprises: They now have an easier way to change their IT services into what EMC calls “an internal service organization,” in order to become more agile and cut IT costs, though we don’t have any dollar savings estimates to share…

Changes to GeoDrive

EMC also announced that GeoDrive now supports Linux users. EMC claims service providers, enterprises and application vendor customers use GeoDrive to access cloud environments without having to write any code of their own. Now EMC customers using Linux can leverage GeoDrive to securely access and store files in their Atmos-powered cloud environments.

EMC’s announcements come after EMC VP and Chief Technology Officer Chuck Hollis outlined his top ten IT predictions for 2012, one of which had to do with a new vision for IT security. The developments around Atmos and GeoDrive certainly play into that point. It’ll be interesting to track how many of Hollis’ predictions are directly relation to EMC developments throughout 2012.