Explore Wasabi's hot cloud storage, a cost-effective, high-performance object storage that revolutionizes data management for developers and enterprises alike.
In the rapidly evolving landscape of cloud computing, storage remains a critical component for developers, engineers, and architects. Wasabi Technologies, a Boston-based cloud storage company, is making waves with its innovative approach to hot cloud storage. At the 58th IT Press Tour, Wasabi executives shared insights into their technology, growth, and vision for the future of cloud storage.
The Wasabi Advantage
Founded in 2017 by David Friend and Jeff Flowers, Wasabi set out to solve a fundamental problem in cloud storage: high costs and unpredictable pricing models. The company's core offering is "hot" cloud storage - a high-performance, low-latency solution that aims to be faster and significantly cheaper than competitors like Amazon S3.
David Friend, CEO and co-founder, explained Wasabi's unique positioning: "We're in a market that, for all practical purposes, is an infinite market, and I wanted to get big quick. Our initial strategy was to raise a lot of money and grow quickly."
This strategy has paid off. In just seven years, Wasabi has grown to over 100,000 customers, 15,000 channel partners, and 400 employees. The company boasts 14 storage regions globally and has raised $534 million in financing.
Key Features for Developers
1. Simplified Pricing Model
One of Wasabi's most significant innovations is its straightforward pricing structure. Unlike major cloud providers that charge for egress, API requests, and various other fees, Wasabi offers a flat fee of $6.99 per TB/month (with discounts for reserved capacity).
This predictable pricing model addresses a major pain point for developers and enterprises. As Friend noted, "People hated complicated bills. They didn't like egress fees, API charges. Every time you do a put or a GET or a list operation, you get some little charge on your bill."
2. Performance and Compatibility
Wasabi claims its storage solution is faster than competitors, particularly for uploads and downloads. The company fully supports the AWS S3 API, making it easy for developers to migrate existing S3-compatible applications to Wasabi.
3. Data Protection and Compliance
Security is a top priority for Wasabi. The platform offers:
11 9s of data durability
Immutability via S3 object lock to protect against ransomware
In-flight and at-rest encryption
Identity and access management (IAM)
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Multi-user authorization (MUA)
A notable innovation is Wasabi's multi-user authentication for deletions, which requires two authorized users to approve deleting data or accounts. This feature adds an extra layer of protection against external threats and insider risks.
4. Scalability and Global Presence
With 14 storage regions across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, Wasabi offers developers the ability to store data close to their users or to meet data residency requirements. The company's infrastructure is designed to scale to exabyte levels, making it suitable for enterprises with massive data storage needs.
Emerging Technologies and Use Cases
Wasabi is not content with just providing raw storage. The company is actively expanding into value-added services that leverage its storage infrastructure.
1. Wasabi Air: AI-Powered Media Tagging
In early 2023, Wasabi acquired Curio, an AI company specializing in media metadata tagging. This technology has been integrated into Wasabi's offering as "Wasabi Air." Andrew Smith, Director of Competitive Strategy, explained:
"Wasabi Air is making an immediate impact in the sports media space with users like Liverpool FC, where they need to report and process all this content, but they need an easier interface to find events or find content within tens of thousands of hours of recordings."
This AI-powered tagging system can identify logos, detect players, and perform automated voice recognition for announcers and commentary. This feature could significantly streamline content management and search capabilities for developers working on media-heavy applications.
2. Surveillance and Security
Wasabi is making inroads in the video surveillance market. It offers cost-effective storage for large volumes of video data and has partnered with leading surveillance software providers to create integrated solutions that simplify video data management.
3. Data Analytics and Machine Learning
As organizations accumulate vast amounts of data, Wasabi positions itself as an ideal storage solution for data lakes and analytics platforms. The company's low-cost, high-performance storage can enable developers to build more cost-effective big data and machine learning pipelines.
Sustainability Focus
An exciting finding from Wasabi's Cloud Storage Index survey was the high sustainability ranking in choosing cloud storage providers. In response, Wasabi has launched initiatives to help customers measure and reduce their carbon footprint.
Developers can now use tools on Wasabi's website to estimate the carbon emissions associated with their storage usage. Additionally, through a partnership with Zero Circle, Wasabi offers an invoice-based carbon footprint calculator for more precise measurements.
Future Outlook
Wasabi's ambitious goal is to reach $1 billion in revenue within four to five years. The company sees itself as following in the footsteps of EMC, which disrupted the hardware storage market decades ago.
Friend outlined the company's strategy: "Our objective is to make a good return for our investors and for the sustainable company that will be a major force in the IT industry. We have Amazon, Google, and Microsoft as the other alternatives to deal with."
The company plans to expand its global footprint, focusing on markets like India and the Nordic countries. Wasabi is also exploring ways to offer smaller, on-premises deployments for edge use cases or to meet specific data sovereignty requirements.
Challenges and Opportunities
While Wasabi has seen rapid growth, it faces significant challenges:
Competition from hyperscalers: Amazon, Microsoft, and Google have vast resources and established customer bases.
Building brand awareness: Despite its growth, Wasabi must be known as a primary cloud provider.
Evolving technology landscape: As new storage technologies emerge, Wasabi must continue to innovate to stay competitive.
However, the company sees these challenges as opportunities. By focusing solely on storage and maintaining a simple, transparent pricing model, Wasabi believes it can continue differentiating itself in the market.
Conclusion
For developers, engineers, and architects, Wasabi presents an intriguing alternative in the cloud storage space. Its low cost, high performance, and emerging AI capabilities make it worth considering for various applications, from backup and archiving to cutting-edge media processing and analytics.
As cloud-native development evolves, having cost-effective, scalable, and intelligent storage options will be crucial. Wasabi's focus on simplicity, performance, and innovation positions it as a player to watch in the coming years.
Whether Wasabi can achieve its ambitious growth targets remains to be seen, but its impact on the cloud storage market is already significant. As the company continues to expand and innovate, developers would monitor Wasabi's offerings well and consider how they might fit into their cloud architecture strategies.
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