ElasticStack latest version launched

ElasticStack, the cloud platform provider, has today announced a new version of its cloud infrastructure platform, claiming it will change the economics of cloud service provision.

The Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) provider, spun out of the open source-based cloud hosting provider ElasticHosts last year, has updated its platform to include improved storage clustering.

These improvements are designed to reduce hardware costs by eliminating the need for a storage area network (SAN) without compromising the same resilience of the cloud services supported.

Richard Davies, ElasticStack chief executive (CEO), told Cloud Pro eliminating the need for a separate SAN by clustering distributed block storage based on network RAID technology would enable scalable, pay-as-you-go cloud infrastructures built on low-cost commodity hardware.

“Traditionally, cloud infrastructures have separated the central storage cluster from the virtual hosts so that storage capability is highly available everywhere it’s needed,” he said.

“However, implementing a SAN or any dedicated storage cluster comes at an expense that ultimately increases the cost of your cloud.”

Davies added: “Cloud data centres have got virtual nodes with storage drive bays anyway, so with our updated version, we’ve transferred the SAN to a resilient distributed storage system that is now part of our fully integrated IaaS solution.”

The IaaS provider has also developed a Ajax-based control panel in its new version, which has been designed to make creating and managing cloud servers easier and faster.

Improvements in responsiveness will allow businesses building ElasticStack-based clouds to now make use of an increased range of payment, customer relationship management (CRM) and SMS options. This means they will be able to customise currency and pricing based on region, while also integrating ElasticStack into CRM systems like Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics.

“The new user interface makes self service much easier," said Davies. “This new release will enable both service providers and enterprises to build low cost, highly resilient clouds."

The ElasticStack cloud platform has supported ElasticHosts' own cloud servers in the UK and US since 2008. The platform now powers production clouds on four continents, including US-based Open Hosting, Malaysia's first public cloud service SKALI Cloud and UK-based Serverlove.