Focus: Object storage

Object storage does away with the tree-like hierarchies of file systems used by traditional storage NAS and SAN systems. Instead, object storage allows access to stored items via a flat system of unique identifiers, something like the domain name system of the internet. Doing away with unwieldy file systems can speed access when large numbers of files are held and are potentially key to stateless web-based applications. In addition, the rich metadata of object storage can boost the potential for analytics on your data.