The CTERA C400 is a disk storage appliance with an embedded cloud gateway that provides a comprehensive data protection, DR and file sharing solution for SMBs and remote office environments. It has 12TB of raw storage capacity in a RAID 0/1/5/6 or JBOD configuration with Windows support via CIFS, Linux via NFS, Macintosh via AFP and Apple TimeMachine, plus rsync and WebDAV protocols. The C400 is also an iSCSI target with logical volume management, thin provisioned snapshots and AES-256 volume encryption. And, it features a suite of storage services including disk drive monitoring, remote management, email alerts and customizable reports.

Storage Switzerland has been running the C400 in the Lab since August. Click here to view the recorded videos.

All in one Data Protection solution

Cloud Gateway

The C400 connects to the CTERA Cloud Service, allowing backups and shared files to be stored off-site automatically. The appliance performs regular, incremental transfers to the cloud, using data compression and block-level deduplication. It also supports file versioning by retaining multiple historic snapshots. Backups can be restored at the file level or by volume snapshot, and accessed via a secure web interface.

Network and Cloud Shared Storage

As a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device, the C400 provides CIFS, NFS and AFP file services via the LAN, with thin provisioned snapshots and user disk quotas. The C400 also provides access to local and cloud-stored files from the LAN or via a web browser. This allows full collaboration between users or groups, within the organization or to guest users though email invitation.

This is a product that does a lot of things well. For users in the small to medium-sized business (SMB) category the CTERA C400 offers a compelling infrastructure solution that can accommodate a number of storage-related functions in a single appliance. For these kinds of companies, where IT expertise may be minimal and time to spend on IT-related issues is in short supply, the C400 can mean more productivity, less administrative overhead and lower costs.

For Service Providers

The C400’s strong end user value proposition means more demand from service providers’ primary customers. In the final analysis, the decision of which products to sell has to center on this value delivered to end users. But there are some other aspects of a product that cloud service providers (CSPs) and managed service providers (MSPs) must take into consideration as well.

For many MSPs backup services are the primary use case for their SMB customer base. Backup is a universal requirement for just about all companies, but in this segment it’s especially important. These companies are more likely to be using lower end hardware and less likely to have redundancy and other best practices in place. In short they’re more vulnerable to system failures and more reliant on their backup.

MSPs can tailor the solution to accommodate the variety of environments their customers have - add software, sell an appliance, incorporate an existing infrastructure, etc. Data protection is something they can create enough value around to maintain margins in the solutions they sell and maintain control in their accounts.

The C400 certainly fits this model as it provides a complete backup solution that’s flexible enough to fit into most SMB environments. As a gateway appliance it can alleviate many of the issues that other cloud backup solutions have, while providing a full-fledged DR solution as well. With server application agents and laptop backup capabilities, it can replace the collection of backup products that many small companies find themselves using. But the C400 also represents a new opportunity for MSPs to expand their business in these existing backup accounts.

If data protection is the number one need in SMB companies, file sharing or shared storage is a close second. As companies grow one of the the first pieces of networked infrastructure they buy is a file server. This fact certainly hasn’t been missed by the large public cloud storage providers, and SMBs are a focus for most of them. But a ‘bulk’ cloud storage service may not be the most appealing option for users.

Adding file storage to cloud backup

The C400 provides local storage, just like a network attached storage device (NAS) but added to a cloud-connected backup. For the SMB this means they can get local file storage in the same infrastructure they use for backup. And they can buy it from their MSP. For that service provider, they now have another product to sell a current customer, one that’s about as fundamental to their business as backup, and one that keeps them out of direct competition with the large, online storage providers.

Providing cloud storage also represents a growth opportunity, since storage capacity consumption typically follows business growth. Plus, the ability to collaborate with other users locally and online through the CTERA cloud gives MSPs another service to offer through the C400. Users typically share files via email, even within the same office. The CTERA collaboration capability enables a much more productive process, especially when users are on mobile devices or in remote offices.

CTERA Portal

The CTERA Portal gives the service providers direct contact with their customers and can be customized to fit with the MSP’s existing web page or other marketing communications. This portal allows them to manage all details of customer activity and configuration, such as capacity, remote access, promotional activities, etc. Configuration templates for backup schedules and save rules, for example, can be distributed through the portal to simplify administration, as can changes to these templates. Email notices for users and alerts for administrators also come through the portal.

For Cloud Service Providers the CTERA Portal, Datacenter Edition, allows them to manage storage on the backend, whether it’s in the CSP’s data center or in the public cloud. It can provide a firmware repository, allowing automatic or manual deployment, to support C400 appliances at their MSPs’ customer sites. They can also create multiple virtual portals, one for each of their MSP partners.

Storage Swiss Take

Service providers are in a challenging market. On one end they’re having to compete with larger infrastructure companies that are moving ‘down market’ in a tough economy, looking for new customers. On the other end they’re competing with large, and very large, public cloud entities which are targeting their SMB core business.

The C400 (and the larger capacity CTERA C800) is the kind of solution that enables MSPs to build enough value into their offerings to effectively go up against both of these larger competitors and keep their customers. As a complete cloud-based data protection - with comprehensive backup and DR - it’s very appealing to smaller companies. And, when file services and collaboration features are added, it becomes even more appealing, to both users and MSPs. CTERA knows what service providers need in a cloud solution and have built the kind of management functionality into the C400 that makes it easy to sell, support and grow.

previous blog: Calling IT                                                  CTERA is a client of Storage Switzerland