File and Object Storage PlatformsReviews and Ratings
What are File and Object Storage Platforms?
Gartner defines file and object storage platforms as software and/or hardware platforms that offer object and distributed file system technologies for storing and managing unstructured data over NFS, SMB and Amazon S3 access protocols.
File and object storage platforms store, secure, protect and scale an organization’s unstructured data with access over the network using protocols such as NFS, SMB and Amazon S3. Use cases include analytics, workload consolidation, backup and archiving, hybrid cloud, object-native applications, cloud IT operations, and high-performance files.
Dell PowerScale, a flexible and secure scale-out NAS solution, is designed to be reliable at any scale. Regardless of the kind of data, where it lives, or how big it gets, your data lake always stays simple to manage, simple to grow, simple to protect, and simple enough to handle the most demanding workloads of today and tomorrow.
Cloudian HyperStore is an object storage software designed to store and manage large volumes of unstructured data across on-premises and cloud environments. The software provides a scalable storage solution based on the S3 API, enabling integration with applications that utilize this interface. HyperStore facilitates data durability through features such as erasure coding and replication, supporting configurable data protection policies. It offers multi-tenancy and quality-of-service controls for efficient resource allocation and secures data using encryption capabilities. The software addresses business challenges of data growth, compliance, and cost management by allowing organizations to optimize storage infrastructure for backup, archival, and content repositories.
FlashBlade is a software designed for unifying file and object storage to support modern workloads such as analytics, artificial intelligence, and rapid data recovery. The software provides scalable, high-performance storage that enables simultaneous access for large numbers of users and workloads. Its features include support for various data protocols, data reduction techniques, and simple management tools to streamline operations. FlashBlade addresses business problems related to managing large volumes of unstructured data and facilitates faster data processing, enabling organizations to derive insights and value from their information assets. The software assists enterprises in consolidating their data storage infrastructure and improving efficiency in handling complex data tasks.
Huawei OceanStor Pacific Series is a software designed for distributed storage and data management. It supports various workloads including big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. The software provides scalable architecture and is compatible with object, file, and HDFS storage protocols, addressing the need for unified storage across diverse application scenarios. It offers features such as automatic data tiering, resource pooling, and lifecycle management to optimize storage utilization and simplify operations. The software focuses on reliability and efficiency, supporting multiple enterprise-level backup and disaster recovery strategies to help organizations manage large volumes of unstructured data securely and effectively.
MinIO is a high-performance, Kubernetes-native object store. MinIO delivers S3-like infrastructure on public clouds, private clouds, on-prem and the edge. MinIO's <100mb binary is simple to install and manage and the product supports a suite of enterprise features targeting security, resiliency, data protection and scalability.
MinIO will run on any hardware making it suitable for deployments at the edge while simultaneously being powerful enough to run the datacenter. It is used as the foundation for modern data lakes for AI/ML, customer analytics, telemetry, video streaming, log analytics and repatriation of cloud workloads.
With more than 1.4B Docker pulls (averaging 1M per day), MinIO is deployed on every continent.
Software-defined Nutanix Unified Storage consolidates file, object and block storage while offering rich data services such as analytics, lifecycle management, cybersecurity, and strong data protection across on prem, edge, and cloud deployments.
Qumulo is a software designed for managing and storing large-scale file data across on-premises and cloud environments. The software offers features such as real-time analytics, scalable storage, and data management capabilities that enable organizations to monitor usage patterns, optimize performance, and manage unstructured data. Qumulo supports integration with different infrastructure, provides automated data protection, and facilitates centralized management of file storage. The software is used to address challenges in handling rapid growth of digital content and supports use cases such as backup, collaboration, and media archiving.
The Hitachi Content Platform (HCP) is a highly reliable, flexible, and secure object storage solution designed to manage unstructured data across various workloads and clouds. Its multi-cloud architecture ensures seamless data portability and comprehensive S3 compatibility for cloud-native applications. With its compliance capabilities, HCP protects, indexes, and analyzes unstructured data. With the ability to scale capacity and performance independently, and having a single cluster manage over an exabyte of data while supporting hundreds of billions of objects, HCP offers scalability, performance and cost-effectiveness. Use cases range from AI/ML, cloud-native, and analytics workloads to backup and long-term retention. Deployment options include fully integrated appliances, software-only solutions, on-premises configurations, cloud environments, and all-flash storage—giving you the freedom to choose the right fit for your business.
NeuralMesh is a software that facilitates efficient data management and accelerated performance for artificial intelligence and machine learning workloads. It is designed to optimize storage layering and data movement across distributed computing environments. The software streamlines the transfer and accessibility of data, enabling high throughput and low latency for large-scale training and inference processes. NeuralMesh integrates with cloud, hybrid, and on-premises infrastructures, aiming to address data bottlenecks and scalability challenges commonly encountered in AI applications. It supports automated resource allocation and dynamic scaling, assisting organizations in managing complex data pipelines for research and production scenarios. The software focuses on enabling seamless access and manipulation of unstructured data, serving the needs of enterprises that generate and consume extensive datasets for AI-driven processes.
Scality RING is a software designed for managing large-scale unstructured data, providing object storage and file storage capabilities. The software enables organizations to store, access, and protect digital assets across multiple geographic locations and hardware platforms. Scality RING supports features such as high availability, data durability, and scalability, allowing it to handle petabytes of data and billions of objects. It offers integrations with standard protocols like NFS, SMB, and S3, facilitating compatibility with various applications and workflows. The software addresses challenges related to data growth, disaster recovery, and long-term archiving by offering flexible deployment models and automated data distribution.
Cohesity SmartFiles is a software that enables organizations to manage, secure, and access unstructured data across various environments. The software provides capabilities for file and object storage, data protection, search, and analytics. It enables organizations to address challenges related to data growth and complexity by supporting scalability and offering policies for data lifecycle management. Cohesity SmartFiles facilitates access controls, data auditing, and integration with existing IT systems. It is designed to support use cases such as archiving, file sharing, backup consolidation, and content discovery, helping organizations to organize and manage large volumes of data efficiently.
VAST Data Platform is a software designed to manage data storage, processing, and management at scale for organizations handling large volumes of unstructured and structured data. The software integrates object, file, and table storage into a unified data platform to support various workloads including analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. It enables data consolidation by providing access through multiple protocols and supports both on-premises and cloud environments. The software is built to simplify data architecture, improve performance, and enhance data accessibility while reducing operational complexity. It addresses business challenges related to storing, scaling, and accessing data efficiently for demanding data-centric applications.
TrueNAS is the Open Enterprise Storage platform that provides file, block, and object storage atop the ZFS (OpenZFS) file system, across an array of all-flash and hybrid (disk+flash) appliances. TrueNAS is deployed in mission critical use cases across every market vertical, with over 300K active installations globally. TrueNAS is tuned for performance at scale, enabling multi-petabyte installations and integration into existing production workflows with ease. Additionally, the storage and data protection capabilities of TrueNAS can be extended with native support for VMs and containers.
OceanStor 9000 V5 is a distributed storage software developed by Huawei designed to deliver high-performance storage solutions for unstructured data. The software supports large-scale data storage and management, offering features such as unified file and object access, intelligent data tiering, and scalability to accommodate growing business requirements. OceanStor 9000 V5 provides automated data protection, high availability, and reliability for mission-critical workloads. It addresses business needs related to big data analysis, media and entertainment production, and enterprise backup by enabling flexible data sharing and seamless collaboration across multiple platforms. The software allows integration into cloud environments and facilitates centralized management of diverse data types while ensuring efficient resource utilization and simplified operations.
SUSE Enterprise Storage (SES) software provides a scalable, distributed storage platform designed for enterprise environments. Built on Ceph technology, the software supports unified file, block, and object storage, enabling organizations to manage large volumes of data efficiently. It addresses business challenges related to data growth, management complexity, and high availability by allowing seamless expansion, self-healing capabilities, and automated data replication. The software supports integration with various operating systems and hardware, offering flexibility for different IT infrastructures. SUSE Enterprise Storage software includes features for multi-tenancy, data protection, and security, supporting business continuity and compliance requirements within enterprise storage networks.
Dell ECS object storage provides scalability, performance, resilience, and economics. Deployable as a turnkey appliance or in a software-defined model, ECS delivers rich S3-compatibility on a globally distributed architecture, empowering organizations to support enterprise workloads such as cloud-native, archive, IoT, AI, and big data analytics applications at scale.
Red Hat Gluster Storage is a software designed for scalable, distributed file storage, enabling organizations to manage large and unstructured data across various physical, virtual, and cloud environments. The software aggregates storage resources from multiple servers into a single global namespace, facilitating high availability and capacity management. It supports file sharing through protocols such as NFS and SMB and integrates with virtualization platforms to streamline data storage for virtual machines and containers. Red Hat Gluster Storage addresses challenges related to data growth, storage management, and data redundancy by providing features such as automated failover, snapshot support, and data replication across distributed nodes. The software is suitable for enterprises seeking to accommodate large-scale storage needs without relying on proprietary hardware solutions.
ActiveScale is an object storage software designed for managing and storing large volumes of unstructured data. The software supports scalable architecture and provides features such as data durability, automatic data protection and lifecycle management. It enables organizations to archive, access and retain digital assets for use cases involving backup, content repositories, data lakes and long-term preservation. ActiveScale addresses business challenges associated with growing data sets by offering management capabilities that allow for performance optimization and cost efficiency across on-premises and hybrid cloud environments. The software is compatible with standard protocols such as S3 and supports integration with various tools for data workflows and analytics.
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Features of File and Object Storage Platforms
Updated December 2025
Mandatory Features:
Data and metadata that are distributed over multiple nodes in the cluster to handle availability and data protection in a self-healing manner
Snapshot and replication capabilities to protect from data loss
Distributed architecture to scale the data store across multiple servers/nodes to linearly scale performance and capacity with each new node
A POSIX file system, a flat namespace or a key-value store
Erasure coding or other forms of RAID to protect data from disk or node failures
Data access over NFS, SMB and Amazon S3 protocols
Throughput and elastic capacity scaled nondisruptively with the addition or subtraction of each new node to the cluster
Distributed file system that presents a single namespace from capacity pooled across multiple storage nodes based on shared-nothing or shared-everything architectural principles
Peer Lessons Learned for File and Object Storage Platforms
Published June 2025
These lessons focuses on the responses to the questions: “If you could start over, what would your organization do differently?” and “What one piece of advice would you give other prospective customers?”