iRODS and Fujifilm partner to provide an archive solution

FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. and the iRODS Consortium today announce a collaboration and integration, creating a joint solution built upon FUJIFILM Object Archive software and the iRODS data management platform. This joint solution leverages the benefits of a tape storage tier for infrequently accessed “cold” data, providing an automated archiving workflow for research, commercial, and governmental organizations that require storing large – and in most cases, rapidly growing – amounts of data.

With this solution, FUJIFILM Object Archive becomes a deep-tier archive storage target while iRODS provides a data management platform for users who produce massive amounts of research and analytics data.

FUJIFILM Object Archive software has been tested with the iRODS S3 plugin and fully supports the AMAZON S3 abstraction that iRODS provides. In addition to regular AMAZON S3 compatibility, Fujifilm and the iRODS Consortium worked together to add functionality comparable to AMAZON GLACIER to the iRODS S3 Resource Plugin.

This new functionality will be available as part of the upcoming iRODS 4.2.11 release.

Moving appropriate data to tape provides the benefits of air-gap security and scalability with lower data center operating costs and less electricity consumption when compared to other storage solutions. Additionally, FUJIFILM Object Archive software supports the new, higher-capacity LTO-9 tape technology, making the solution potentially even more efficient, economical, and scalable.

“We are very excited to be working with Fujifilm on the AMAZON GLACIER features,” said Terrell Russell, interim executive director of the iRODS Consortium. “Together, we are building a long-term relationship that will be good for our users, and for both organizations.”

“The new interoperability between Fujifilm’s Object Archive software and the iRODS data management platform will greatly benefit organizations who use both products, and potentially create new use cases as well,” said Tom Nakatani, vice president of sales & marketing at FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. “We are pleased to successfully implement this joint solution for the benefit of our collaborators and users.”

Fujifilm is the world’s leading data tape manufacturer (based on market share). Its FUJIFILM Object Archive software allows objects to be seamlessly written to and read from data tape media with Fujifilm’s OTFormat. Using the industry-standard AMAZON S3-compatible API, Object Archive software offers the same operability as cloud storage and easy long-term retention of data similar to AMAZON GLACIER. By using FUJIFILM Object Archive software to optimize existing storage, organizations can eliminate egress fees, offload cold data to tape, maintain chain of custody, realize low ongoing storage costs, and help protect against cyber threats by providing a physical air-gap to data.

About the iRODS Consortium

The iRODS Consortium is a membership-based organization that guides development and support of iRODS as free open-source software for data discovery, workflow automation, secure collaboration, and data virtualization. The iRODS Consortium provides a production-ready iRODS distribution and iRODS professional integration services, training, and support. The consortium is administered by founding member RENCI, a research institute for applications of cyberinfrastructure located at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.

About Fujifilm

FUJIFILM Recording Media U.S.A., Inc. is FUJIFILM Corporation’s U.S.-based manufacturing, marketing and sales operation for data tape media and data management solutions. The company provides data center customers and enterprise industry partners with a wide range of innovative recording media products and archival solutions. Based on a history of thin-film engineering and magnetic particle science such as Fujifilm’s NANOCUBIC™ and Barium Ferrite technology, Fujifilm creates breakthrough data storage products. Worldwide, Fujifilm and its affiliates have surpassed the 170 million milestone for the number of LTO ULTRIUM data cartridges manufactured and sold since introduction, establishing the company as the leading global manufacturer of mid-range and enterprise data tape.

For more information on FUJIFILM Recording Media products, call 800-488-3854 or go to https://www.fujifilm.com/us/en/business/data-storage. For more information about FUJIFILM Object Archive software, visit http://fujifilmobjectarchive.com.

FUJIFILM Holdings Corporation, Tokyo, Japan, brings cutting edge solutions to a broad range of global industries by leveraging its depth of knowledge and fundamental technologies developed in its relentless pursuit of innovation. Its proprietary core technologies contribute to the various fields including healthcare, highly functional materials, document solutions and imaging products. These products and services are based on its extensive portfolio of chemical, mechanical, optical, electronic and imaging technologies. For the year ended March 31, 2021, the company had global revenues of $21 billion, at an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar. The Fujifilm global family of companies is committed to responsible environmental stewardship and good corporate citizenship. For more information, please visit: www.fujifilmholdings.com

FUJIFILM, OBJECT ARCHIVE, and NANOCUBIC are the trademarks and registered trademarks of FUJIFILM Corporation and its affiliates.

AMAZON, AMAZON GLACIER and AMAZON S3 are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries.

LTO and ULTRIUM are registered trademarks of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IBM and Quantum in the United States and/or other countries.