Reduce. Retain. Retrieve.

Analyst View

“Rainstor is challenging one of the misconceptions around cloud computing: that it can’t be used for storing and analyzing database-centric data. We believe many businesses will be able to make a compelling case for dismantling infrastructure museums: retiring legacy applications and moving the data out of their datacenters and onto cheaper and more flexible cloud platforms.”
William Fellows, Principal Analyst, The 451 Group

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Learn more about the latest version of the RainStor technology.

Why Rainstor

Technology

RainStor is a specialized data repository for inactive structured data. The technology significantly reduces the total cost of preserving information through extreme data compression, simplified data management, and near-perfect scalability on commodity hardware. Information can be retrieved from RainStor using full SQL through industry standard reporting or BI tools.

Retain data from any source, on any storage platform

RainStor loads and compresses structured data by typically 40:1 from any source (database, log, or event data) into secure and accessible containers. These containers are discrete files that encapsulate the data without any loss of content or structure. As such, the containers can be managed using standard file systems and stored on any storage platform, including SAN, NAS, DAS, CAS, or cloud storage. RainStor provides full relational access to the compressed data containers using standard SQL without the need to re-inflate the data.

RainStor Architecture

Diagram: RainStor can take structured data from any source, store it efficiently on any platform and provide on-demand access using full SQL through any industry standard reporting or BI tool.

Manage schema evolution and protect data from change

Furthermore, RainStor is able to track and manage changes in the structure or schema of data over time. This capability allows data to be queried as it existed at any point in time through the lens of historical schemas. RainStor’s immutable data model also ensures that data cannot be changed or deleted, so ensuring compliance.

Scale efficiently to deliver required performance

RainStor’s massive parallel processing (MPP) architecture has been designed to scale up and out efficiently across commodity servers, delivering low-cost scalability and performance. RainStor also requires no design, tuning, or maintenance, eliminating the need for costly DBAs: you simply load data then query it when information needs to be retrieved.

In summary, RainStor provides a set of capabilities that have been specifically designed for long-term data retention in the enterprise or the cloud at the lowest possible cost:

  • Extreme Data Compression – Structured data compressed by typically 40:1 using sophisticated data and pattern de-duplication techniques.
  • Online Access – Compressed data can be accessed using full SQL through industry standard BI tools without any restoration.
  • Data Source Agnostic – Data from any application, database, or platform can be imported, enabling enterprise-wide solutions.
  • Zero Design and Maintenance – No schema design, index creation, or tuning is required, with zero ongoing maintenance.
  • Schema Evolution Preserved – Schema changes are preserved and tracked, enabling data to be queried as it existed at any point in time.
  • Guaranteed Immutability – Data integrity is assured using an immutable data model that allows incremental updates but no changes.
  • Enforced Data Disposition – Data retention policies ensure that data is destroyed and shredded according to data governance standards.
  • Storage Platform Agnostic – Virtual file system and standard XAM interfaces support SAN, NAS, DAS, CAS, and cloud storage platforms.
  • Commodity Hardware Support – MPP architecture designed to run on commodity servers enables low-cost scalability and performance.

Learn more about how the technology works.

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