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.
Gartner defines enterprise backup and recovery software solutions as technology that captures a point-in-time copy (backup) of enterprise data in on-premises, hybrid, multicloud and software as a service (SaaS) environments. These solutions write this data to one or more secondary storage targets for the primary purpose of recovering it in case of loss. Protecting and recovering business application data, irrespective of the underlying infrastructure type and its location, is more important than ever. As enterprises move toward more complex environments that include large and expansive amounts of business-critical data, enterprise backup and recovery software solutions protect these workloads, whether they reside in on-premises, hybrid, multicloud or software as a service (SaaS) environments. These solutions are vital to organizations’ ability to recover data following events that cause it to become inaccessible. Whether such an event is accidental, malicious or environmental, organizations use these solutions to recover and restore access to the affected data accurately and efficiently. Solutions must offer effective capabilities to simplify the management of data protection across complex enterprise environments. They must also ensure reliable recovery not just from accidental or operational errors but also from data loss arising from constantly changing threats, and expedite and orchestrate data recovery responses to traditional disaster and ransomware events.