Quantum Finalizes Acquisition of ActiveScale from Western Digital

ActiveScale’s object storage software and erasure coding businesses are now owned by digital storage vendor Quantum under an acquisition deal from Western Digital that was announced in February and finalized this week.

The completed acquisition now gives digital storage vendor Quantum a means to expand its products and services more deeply into the object storage market while extending its operations in storing and managing video and unstructured data, according to the company.

Object storage is typically used for the storage of video and other forms of unstructured data which requires high-speed capture and processing that is usually done with a file system like Quantum StorNext products. That unstructured data, which includes video and images for entertainment, surveillance and security, marketing and training and more, is often stored for years or decades by users.

Quantum has a history of working with the ActiveScale object storage product line by delivering and supporting it for customers over the last five years as a partner.

Quantum’s Eric Bassier

Eric Bassier, Quantum’s head of product marketing, told Channel Futures that the product acquisition will give the company’s VAR, reseller and other channel partners a broadened Quantum portfolio to help them solve their customers’ increasing IT challenges.

“Quantum now has a portfolio that includes high performance file storage with NVMe, massively scalable highly durable object storage, and tape storage for the lowest cost storage option,” said Bassier. “Our data management engine can move files and objects across these tiers of storage, to build the optimal infrastructures for massive unstructured data in industries such as scientific research, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), media and entertainment, manufacturing, enterprise backup, surveillance and more.”

To help prepare partners for the new ActiveScale products, Quantum has already offered an introductory training to partners and will offer a series of virtual trainings for all Quantum Alliance members starting in April, said Bassier. Quantum regional channel managers also plans to kick off a series of regional in-person trainings for key partners, he added.

The acquisition was fueled by repeated requests from partners to integrate the products officially into Quantum’s product line. “Quantum has been reselling the ActiveScale product line and technology for many years, and there was consistent feedback from both customers and partners that object storage would be a great addition to Quantum’s portfolio of products and solutions,” said Bassier. “We are convinced this will give our partners a broader opportunity set and even more reasons to work with Quantum.”

Media Workflow’s Liz Davis

Liz Davis, director of media workflow for systems integrator Diversified, a Quantum channel partner, told Channel Futures that her company has definitely been asking Quantum for an object storage offering for some time. Infrastructure engineers have a growing pressure to migrate data and workflows to the cloud and transition to an operating expense versus a capital expense model, she said.

“The benefit of using ActiveScale versus other products on the market is that it can be controlled under Quantum’s robust and unique StorNext file system,” said Davis. “As an integrator, this is a huge advantage as it allows us to manage and create unique workflows under a single application. In addition, this allows for easier ongoing maintenance of the system.”

Object storage provides a cost-effective ability to enable a hybrid cloud approach, while building a forward leaning strategy to tiered storage design, said Davis. “Additionally, this allows us to build collaboration tools in the cloud for clients that have multi-site and global resource allocation needs by building cloud enabled on-premises infrastructure.”

The terms of the ActiveScale acquisition deal between Quantum and Western Digital were not disclosed.