VISI Selects ParaScale Software Paired With Commodity Linux Servers For Its Soon-To-Be-Launched

Sept. 4, 2009 - PRLog -- CUPERTINO, CA —  ParaScale, Inc., a startup company developing cloud storage software solutions, today announced that VISI(http://www.visi.com) , a leading Minnesota-based regional provider of enterprise managed hosting services, has selected ParaScale software as the cloud storage platform to enable a transition into cloud services.

“We are excited to have completed our platform selection process for our soon-to-be-announced cloud computing services,” said Jason Baker, CTO of VISI.  “After a detailed evaluation, we have selected ParaScale as the basis of our cloud storage offering. This is a critical decision for us, as this foundational technology is going to be with us for a long time. We were particularly impressed by the fact that ParaScale delivers a complete solution including easy data access, a comprehensive storage infrastructure and simple integration with our existing systems. Not only is ParaScale putting its best foot forward as a technology provider, they are focused on helping service providers offer a unique and differentiated offering.”

Cloud storage(http://www.parascale.com) continues to be a focus and starting point for many providers looking to offer cloud services. Meanwhile, cloud computing (renting CPU cycles by the hour) is a medium term opportunity. It is more complex for the hosting company to deliver, while still requiring the end-customer to have the expertise and time to package up an application to run in the cloud.  “Cloud storage is the ideal starting point for cloud providers as it is an easier entry point to the market segment when compared with the cost and complexity of integrating other cloud computing technologies, and customers are buying it,” said Antonio Piraino, analyst at Tier-1 Research. “Cloud services overall are growing at 100% year-over-year for the foreseeable future. In a tough economic environment, this is one of the few bright spots.”

By combining ParaScale software and buyer selected standard servers, managed service providers can build different types of storage clouds and offer a variety of storage cloud services.

“It is very gratifying that VISI selected ParaScale as the foundation of their imminent cloud storage service,” said Cameron Bahar, founder and CTO, ParaScale, Inc. This is especially so because the technically and strategically astute VISI team performed in-depth testing including acquiring and testing competitive products. With all the noise around cloud storage, it is not easy for service providers to separate the hype from the reality.”

“Amazon and Google set out to build a massive pool of file storage based on commodity hardware and in doing so, created the concept of cloud storage,” said Sajai Krishnan, CEO of ParaScale.  “Given the interest in this emerging market, many archival storage vendors have positioned themselves as players in the cloud storage space as they can scale capacity, but the ability to deliver cloud-scale performance is missing. Another vendor claims to be a cloud storage platform without storing any bits and others tout proprietary REST APIs as the be-all, ignoring the proprietary lessons of the past.  In beating out a set of traditional and new storage players, VISI validated ParaScale as the best all-around platform for service providers to pursue the rapidly evolving cloud storage opportunity. We are humbled by VISI's vote of confidence, and recognize that we win not with this first purchase, but when VISI has a profitable petabyte-plus storage cloud.”

About VISI:
Founded in 1994, VISI is Minnesota's largest locally owned data center services and managed hosting provider, offering connectivity, colocation and managed cloud computing services. VISI serves 10,000 business and residential customers throughout Minnesota with products and services including a world-class SAS 70 Type II data center in St. Paul, Minnesota. The company provides a full range of robust Web and application hosting services, first-rate Internet services and support, and personal, expert advice. To learn more about VISI, call 612-395-9000 or visit www.visi.com