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Global Namespace

Panzura’s global namespace technology is a key element of the hybrid cloud global file system CloudFS, which enables file data consolidation and cloud migration that eliminates islands of storage, and reduces cost and complexity with a single, unified view of files globally.

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Legacy Storage Contributes to File Data Growth and Spiraling Storage Costs

Organizations that haven't yet modernized their storage infrastructure are often challenged by hosting and managing storage at each site. Often, different NAS solutions are used throughout an organization, with each location hosting its own storage, and regular replication attempts to keep file data at least somewhat consistent.

Local files can be accessed quickly and easily. However, if a user needs to access files that are hosted at a different location, then finding, accessing, and securely editing those files becomes unworkably slow.

Moving files to the cloud makes this exponentially more challenging — now, there is considerable distance between the file storage and every user and process.

What is a Global Namespace?

A global namespace is a universal file directory that makes files on multiple physical servers or storage arrays appear to be part of the same structure. The namespace could – and usually does – exist just within a single data center, or may span multiple locations, though this is less common because it is much harder to do.

Put another way, a global namespace enables all files to appear on the same node even though the data is actually spread across tens or hundreds of different nodes, both on-prem and in-cloud.

Simplifies Storage Architecture

Eliminates islands of storage while reducing cost and complexity by providing a single, unified view of files regardless of how they may be distributed across the organization.

Virtually Consolidates Files

It virtually consolidates all of the files within an organization so every one of your people get the same experience. Users can easily see and access files, regardless of where they are physically hosted.

Leverages Benefits of Cloud

By using a single global namespace that leverages the private or public cloud provider of your choice, reduce costs while simplifying storage management.

Improves WAN Performance

By leveraging Panzura data locality policies, any data in the global namespace can be cached at remote sites, delivering exceptional local-feeling performance over the WAN.

Discover why modern data leaders prefer the Panzura Data Management Platform