Sphere 3D’s Overland Storage Subsidiary Simplifies Data Storage and Retrieval Requirements of Big Data with Launch of NEO Agility LTFS Solution

Provides easy drag and drop file access to petabytes of data combined with the superior economics and reliability of tape


SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 17, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ:ANY), a containerization, virtualization and data management solutions provider, today announced that its subsidiary Overland Storage has introduced its NEO® Agility™ archive appliance which leverages both the Linear Tape File System (LTFS) technology, as well as the Tape Archive (TAR) format.  Users of this new member of the NEO Series family of data archive solutions benefit from the ease of use of a standard file viewing system plus the economics and reliability that tape-based storage provides for large amounts of data.

The NEO Agility archive appliance provides simple drag and drop file access to up to 15 petabytes (PBs) of online storage capacity, and an unlimited amount of offline capacity.  The product is specifically designed to help users quickly archive and access the large amounts of data that needs to be managed and stored.  NEO Agility is compatible with all Overland Storage NEO tape libraries, as well as broad range of tape library models manufactured by other vendors.    

“We are seeing increasing demand by big healthcare, video surveillance, media and entertainment and other sectors for ultra-high capacity data systems to support the uploading and downloading of multi-terabyte images and video feeds.  This ongoing growth in file sizes and storage capacity demands makes now the perfect time to launch NEO Agility,” stated Peri Grover, senior director of Overland NEO product management.  “This product also opens new doors for our network of channel partners to break into new accounts as it is compatible with many different tape library models and vendors, unlike other LTFS vendors that limit interoperability to support only their own specific vendor libraries.”

For video archiving, the appliance can store up to five Terabytes (TBs) of new video assets per day, as well as restore up to 20TB of video assets per day, but at a much lower cost per terabyte when compared to standard file based systems with no LTFS component.  To give additional context on its cost-efficiency for typical post-production video files, the NEO Agility appliance enables the equivalent of 100 video disks to be stored on just one LTO tape cartridge.   

Another target use case for NEO Agility is healthcare data archiving and storage.  Before the end of this year, Frost & Sullivan estimates that the United States alone will generate more than 1,000 petabytes of medical image data on a yearly basis.  This massive amount of data equates to approximately 600 million medical imaging procedures per year. 

NEO Agility makes tape simple by integrating with users’ existing file-based applications and not requiring the complex attachment of metadata nor any additional modification of their files. Users benefit from the ease of access of having multiple petabytes of storage sitting right there in their operating system directory tree, allowing them to quickly and easily archive, restore and share files between multiple users and/or locations, at the lowest possible cost for long-term data storage.

The NEO Agility archive appliance provides support for both the LTFS and TAR standards, allowing files to be presented in a standard file/folder structure that can be transferred to/from the archive using either standard Windows network protocol or FTP file transfers.  This enables the user to take advantage of the cost-effective and reliability advantages of tape, while avoiding proprietary formats, preventing expensive vendor lock-in, eliminating the need for expensive third-party archive software applications, and enabling regulatory compliance by providing support for WORM cartridges.  NEO Agility also simplifies the management of near-line disk, near-line tape and off-line tape by allowing an administrator to define policies for RAID caching that can be tailored for different file types and folders.

NEO Agility technical specifications include:

  • Compatible with all Overland Storage NEO tape libraries, including the NEOXL 80, NEOXL 60, and NEOs T48 models, as well as a broad range of tape library models manufactured by other vendors   
  • Storage of up to 15PB of online capacity, and an unlimited amount of offline capacity
  • 8TBs of disk cache designed to enhance archive and restore performance
  • Sustainable transfer rates range from 500Mb/s to 1300 Mb/s for files ranging in size from 1GB to 100GB
  • Redundancy for enhanced data availability
  • High-speed network connections, like SAS and Fiber Channel
  • The ability to locally connect storage devices via USB allowing files to be transferred locally between the USB device and LTO
  • Support for standard network protocols (CIFS/SMB and FTP); can be set up as a Network Attached Storage (NAS) share
  • Interoperable with Windows, Linux, and MAC file environments

Pricing and Availability
NEO Agility is immediately available through Overland Storage authorized FastTrack program channel partners. The archive appliance has an MSRP starting at $29,000 USD and €26,500 Euro.  To learn more about the NEO Agility archive appliance:

About NEO

NEO Series solutions provide a wide range of long-term storage capability utilizing industry-leading LTO tape drive technology.  Ranging from a single tape drive offering 1.5TB of storage capacity, to a multi-drive, multi-cartridge tape library delivering up to 15PBs of storage at speeds of up to 65TB/hr. for just pennies/GB, NEO solutions provide the most reliable, cost-effective, high-capacity, high-performance solutions for long term data storage.  Whether they are small, private business or large, multi-national Fortune 100 institutions, over 250,000 users worldwide trust their data to Overland Storage and NEO Series tape backup and archive solutions.

About Sphere 3D

Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ:ANY) delivers data management, and desktop and application virtualization solutions via hybrid Cloud, Cloud and on-premise implementations through its global reseller network. Sphere 3D, along with its wholly-owned subsidiaries Overland Storage and Tandberg Data has a strong portfolio of brands including Glassware 2.0™, NEO®, RDX®SnapCLOUD®, SnapServer®, SnapSync™ and V3®. For more information, visit www.sphere3d.com. Follow us on Twitter @Sphere3D, @overlandstorage, and @tandbergdata.

Media Contacts:
Tina Brown
408-283-4731
media.relations@sphere3d.com 

Investor Contact:
Blueshirt Group
Michael Bishop
415-217-4968
mike@blueshirtgroup.com

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, unforeseen changes in the course of Sphere 3D’s business or the business of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including, without limitation, Overland Storage and Tandberg Data; the timing of releases of any new or updated versions of our products; the performance and functionality of our products; the level of success of our collaborations and business partnerships; possible actions by customers, partners, suppliers, competitors or regulatory authorities; and other risks detailed from time to time in Sphere 3D’s periodic reports contained in our Annual Information Form and other filings with Canadian securities regulators (www.sedar.com) and in prior periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Sphere 3D undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.