IBC 2017: Spectra BlackPearl Family Expands With Upgradable NAS Solution

Spectra Logic (Stand 7.J30) has added a mid-tier enterprise-grade data-storage offering to its BlackPearl family. The Spectra BlackPearl network attached storage (NAS) solution can provide an affordable storage location for offloading inactive tier-one data, landing ingested media, or backup storage.

BlackPearl NAS scales from 48 TB to 7.1 PB per unit, includes all the enterprise-grade features of Spectra’s award-winning NAS product lines, and is easily upgradable to a full BlackPearl converged storage system with seamless access to multiple local and remote storage targets, including tape, disk, and cloud options. The simple BlackPearl upgrade path provides investment protection for companies facing the challenges of changing regulations, cloud initiatives, and corporate mandates.

BlackPearl NAS users can TranScale to a BlackPearl converged storage system, unlocking multiple storage targets. BlackPearl NAS appears to the network like any other readily mountable NAS solution. With TranScale, BlackPearl also connects to nearly unlimited tape and archive disk locally and offers replication to alternate private or public cloud sites for redundancy and disaster recovery. The TranScale upgrade path is a Spectra Logic exclusive option that has been offered in its tape-library family since 2007.

Compared with other NAS products, Spectra BlackPearl NAS is:

• Less expensive — A Spectra BlackPearl NAS is shipping now at a starting price of $14,200.
• More scalable — It scales beyond just terabytes to 7.1 PB in a single rack.
• Upgradable — BlackPearl NAS comes with the ability to upgrade and TranScale into a full converged storage system, seamlessly tiering content to tape, cloud, and disaster-recovery sites.
• More flexible — An affordable file- and object-storage solution designed for federal, general IT, media and entertainment, and video surveillance.

“BlackPearl NAS is the ideal solution for a number of workflows because it simplifies data-storage processes and future-proofs the initial NAS storage investment,” says Spectra Logic CTO Matt Starr. “BlackPearl NAS is unique due to its ‘object-Storage out capability. Customers can implement a simple, reliable, affordable NAS solution today and upgrade to a fully converged storage system with a number of configuration options.”

The BlackPearl converged storage system, introduced in 2013, solves the problem of costly and complex approaches to digital preservation by combining multiple interfaces and storage targets into a simple and affordable solution designed for diverse workflows. Its partner ecosystem continues to flourish, with 17 certified clients available today, including recently tested and certified clients from NL Technology, Object Matrix, Pixit Media, and SuitcaseTV.

“BlackPearl converged storage system with NL Technology’s Archive solution delivers innovative, efficient, and cost-effective digital-content–management workflows to our Avid customers,” says NL Technology President Jim McKain. “Avid MediaCentral | UX users can now access a proven solution that enhances and simplifies operations, using a seamless workflow that enables instant access to digital assets.”

Says Nick Pearce-Tomenius, sales and marketing director, Object Matrix, “The MatrixStore digital-content–governance platform combined with BlackPearl delivers an intelligent, tiered, and secure storage solution for media and entertainment customers. MatrixStore deploys globally and provides a centralized nearline hub to handle multiple workflows that allows users to quickly access digital assets in automated archives.”

Pixit Media Managing Director Ben Leaver says, “Pixit Media’s strategic partnership with Spectra is an enormous boost to our integrated end-to-end storage workflow for our customers who wish to store digital assets much more cost-effectively. Spectra is the perfect partner to help us round out our storage offerings, given its unmatched expertise in the media and entertainment storage industry, and BlackPearl’s flexibility and rich feature set.”

Says Fraser Jardine, commercial director, SuitcaseTV, “SuitcaseTV has a long-standing relationship with Spectra Logic and is pleased to extend our customer offerings through the BlackPearl converged-storage-system integration. The combination of MediaStor and BlackPearl ensures customers will now have enhanced options, such as monitoring and auditing capabilities, automation, processing, and the ability to store on multiple tiers of data with Spectra’s BlackPearl solution.”