Object Storage Ledger 2026
Ledger
Object Storage Ledger 2026
Cloudian HyperStore: Object Storage Ledger 2026 Scorecard
Cloudian HyperStore pairs a long-standing compliance-mode Object Lock record with a 2024 to 2026 push into GPUDirect and NVIDIA-certified AI storage, with release notes that could not be read.
Edition October 16, 20268 min read
Where Cloudian put its effort, 2016 to 2026
Each square is one capability area in one year. The brighter it is, the more the area gained in the Object Storage Ledger that year; 1, 2 and 3 mark that year's biggest pushes.
| ’16 | ’17 | ’18 | ’19 | ’20 | ’21 | ’22 | ’23 | ’24 | ’25 | ’26 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3 API fidelity | 3 | ||||||||||
| Immutability and compliance | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||||||||
| Durability and resilience | 2 | ||||||||||
| Performance and scale | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Deployment freedom | 1 | 1 | |||||||||
| Security and multi-tenancy | 1 | 2 | |||||||||
| Operations | 2 | ||||||||||
| Protocols beyond S3 | 1 | 3 | |||||||||
| Lifecycle and tiering | 2 | ||||||||||
| Ecosystem and openness |
no change+0.5+1+1.5 or moreScores out of 5 per area.
Biggest pushes overall: Immutability and compliance (+4), Protocols beyond S3 (+3.5), Performance and scale (+1.5). Already strong in 2015: Durability and resilience, S3 API fidelity, Performance and scale.
Top focus each year: 2017 Protocols beyond S3; 2019 Immutability and compliance; 2020 Immutability and compliance; 2021 Deployment freedom; 2022 Security and multi-tenancy; 2023 Performance and scale; 2024 Immutability and compliance; 2025 Deployment freedom; 2026 Performance and scale. 2 of 11 years show no gain in any area.
Part of the Object Storage Ledger (edition 2026-10-16). How the scores work: methodology.
Snapshot
- Type: product
- Owner: Cloudian, Inc. (private, San Mateo, California); 60 million USD round 2023-01-18 for 233 million USD total, 23 million USD growth financing from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital 2024-06-25 with breakeven reported (vendor)
- Licence: Commercial subscription per TB by capacity tier and term, sold as appliances, Lenovo-branded nodes or software on own servers; no list price on cloudian.com (reseller listings show per-TB figures, unverified); free trial
- Latest release: HyperStore 8.2.6 (press 2026-03-16, with NVIDIA-Certified Storage designation); HyperStore 8 launched 2023-11-14; the Veeam Ready listing still names 7.4.2.5
- Support lifecycle: not published; appliance end-of-life trackers show no dates
- Next milestone: none published with a date
- Object lock: Compliance mode and legal hold with versioning enforced, reevaluated by Cohasset Associates against SEC 17a-4(f), FINRA 4511(c) and CFTC 1.31(c)-(d) on "our latest version" (Cloudian blog 2024-12-13; report not read); governance mode not shown in sources read; Veeam Ready Repository Capacity Target with Immutability and SOSAPI for 7.4.2.5 (Veeam article 306, modified 2023-09-25), no listing for 8.x; Commvault, Rubrik and Veritas named by Cloudian without validation documents
- Tier: Commercial software
- Archetype: Real innovator, thinly documented
- Evidence grade: B. Cloudian's press pages, product pages and blog (including the Cohasset post of 2024-12-13) and the Veeam Ready listing (article 306) were read directly. docs.cloudian.com was unreachable, so no release note was read; version-level dates, the file-services history and all scores before 2023 come from trade press and search summaries, grade C. Reseller price points are grade C.
Scorecard
| Dimension | Score | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| Capability today | 77.0 / 100 | higher is better |
| Momentum since end of 2022 | +8.5 points (2015 to 2022: +19.7) | higher is better |
| Credibility | 13.5 / 25 | higher is better |
| Commercial risk | 12.5 / 25 | lower is better |
| Technical lock-in | 11.0 / 25 | lower is better |
| Integrator fit | 12.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| AI leverage | 6.5 / 20 | higher is better |
| Ledger Index | 60.0 / 100 | balanced weights; see the methodology |
Capability by domain, 2015 to today
Scores 0 to 5 against fixed anchors; total is weighted to 100.
| Domain (weight) | 2015 | 2019 | 2022 | Today |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S3 API fidelity (15) | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Immutability and compliance (12) | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Durability and resilience (12) | 4 | 4 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Performance and scale (12) | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Deployment freedom (10) | 3 | 3 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Security and multi-tenancy (10) | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4.5 |
| Operations (10) | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Protocols beyond S3 (7) | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3.5 |
| Lifecycle and tiering (7) | 2.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.5 |
| Ecosystem and openness (5) | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| Total / 100 | 48.8 | 59.5 | 68.5 | 77.0 |
Year by year: 2015: 48.8 · 2016: 48.8 · 2017: 53.0 · 2018: 53.0 · 2019: 59.5 · 2020: 64.3 · 2021: 65.3 · 2022: 68.5 · 2023: 71.4 · 2024: 74.8 · 2025: 75.8 · 2026: 77.0
What moved the score
| Year | Domain | Change | Points | Trigger |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Protocols beyond S3 | 0 → 3 | +4.2 | HyperFile NAS controller: SMB and NFS with WORM and snapshots on HyperStore (2017-12-15) |
| 2019 | Immutability and compliance | 0 → 1 | +2.4 | Veeam Ready Capacity Target listing published 2019-05-15, before Object Lock |
| 2019 | Lifecycle and tiering | 2.5 → 3.5 | +1.4 | 7.x: per-bucket tiering to S3, Glacier and other S3 endpoints including tape libraries (vendor summary; version and year grade C); per-tenant metering |
| 2019 | Performance and scale | 3 → 3.5 | +1.2 | 7.x: exabyte-scale and billions-of-objects claims (vendor; year grade C) |
| 2019 | S3 API fidelity | 3 → 3.5 | +1.5 | 7.x: broad S3 coverage that Veeam tested for its 2019-05-15 listing (version and year grade C) |
| 2020 | Immutability and compliance | 1 → 3 | +4.8 | S3 Object Lock arrives alongside Veeam v10 (vendor; version and month not found) |
| 2021 | Deployment freedom | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | Deployment patterns: containers on VMware Tanzu and Red Hat OpenShift, software-defined on Azure, AWS and GCP (vendor blog 2021-12-17) |
| 2022 | Durability and resilience | 4 → 4.5 | +1.2 | 7.5.1: hybrid policies by object size; erasure coding across three or more data centers with synchronous active-active and asynchronous DR (vendor; year grade C); rebuild tests not found |
| 2022 | Security and multi-tenancy | 3 → 4 | +2.0 | KMIP, Common Criteria EAL2 and FIPS 140-2 Level 1 (vendor; year grade C) |
| 2023 | Operations | 3 → 3.5 | +1.0 | 8.0: global fleet management from one screen and application-aware storage policies (vendor); 24x7 HyperCare support tier; Terraform not found |
| 2023 | Performance and scale | 3.5 → 4 | +1.2 | 8.0: 17.7 GB/s write and 24.9 GB/s read on six all-flash single-processor servers (vendor test, 2023-10 and 2023-11) |
| 2023 | Protocols beyond S3 | 3 → 3.5 | +0.7 | 8.0: unified file and object with bimodal access, files written through HyperStore File Services readable as objects; locking behaviour, HDFS and Azure Blob not found |
| 2024 | Immutability and compliance | 3 → 4 | +2.4 | Cohasset reevaluation of compliance mode with legal hold (vendor blog 2024-12-13); HyperStore Shell with RootDisable removes root SSH; Veeam Ready Immutability on 7.4.2.5; governance mode and second-vendor documents not found, so below 4.5 |
| 2024 | Security and multi-tenancy | 4 → 4.5 | +1.0 | FIPS 140-3 Level 1 certificate 5068 (vendor; not checked on the NIST site), HyperStore Shell with RootDisable, SSH intrusion defence (8.0); no public advisory process found |
| 2025 | Deployment freedom | 3.5 → 4 | +1.0 | HyperStore on second generation AWS Outposts racks (2025-04-30); Lenovo Ready Nodes and multi-OEM validation (2026-06); no Arm, single node or air-gap statement |
| 2026 | Performance and scale | 4 → 4.5 | +1.2 | 8.2.6: NVIDIA-Certified Storage at Foundation level, tested to 128 GPUs (2026-03-16); GPUDirect for object storage announced 2024-11 with a PyTorch connector in 2025-07; no independent benchmark |
Direction, 2023 to 2026
Each release item carries one theme and one driver (V vision, C customer need, M market window, U upstream, P portfolio).
| Date | Item | Theme | Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-02 | Veeam Data Platform v12 direct-to-object support | Immutability | M |
| 2023-10 | HyperStore 8.0 performance results on AMD EPYC and Micron flash | Performance | V |
| 2023-11 | HyperStore 8: unified file and object, global fleet management, SSH intrusion defence | Protocols | V |
| 2023-11 | Bucket Migrator for S3 Express One Zone | Lifecycle | M |
| 2024-02 | PyTorch connector for HyperStore | AI | V |
| 2024-03 | Mountpoint for Amazon S3 integration | S3 API | C |
| 2024-11 | NVIDIA GPUDirect for object storage unveiled at SC24 | AI | V |
| 2024-12 | Cohasset reevaluation of Object Lock compliance mode against SEC, FINRA and CFTC rules | Immutability | C |
| 2025-04 | HyperStore for second generation AWS Outposts racks | Deployment | M |
| 2025-07 | Integrated vector database support; PyTorch connector with GPUDirect Storage | AI | V |
| 2025-09 | S3 AI infrastructure on the NVIDIA AI Data Platform | AI | V |
| 2025-11 | Enterprise AI Data Platform; CTERA partnership | AI | V |
| 2026-03 | 8.2.6: NVIDIA-Certified Storage, Foundation level; HyperScale AI Data Platform as a Lenovo Validated Design | AI | M |
| 2026-06 | NVIDIA Vera BlueField-4 STX and DOCA security support | Security | V |
| 2026-06 | HyperScale AI Data Platform: broader data reach, multi-OEM validation | Deployment | M |
| 2026-09 | Samsung SSD validation | Deployment | M |
- Centre of gravity: AI (6), Deployment (3), Immutability (2)
- Blind spots (no items): Durability, Operations, Ecosystem, Packaging, Licensing
- Driver mix: Vision 50%, Customer need 13%, Market window 38%, Upstream 0%, Portfolio 0%
- Idea-to-need index: 0.50 (0 = demand-pulled, 1 = thesis-pushed)
Credibility: 13.5 / 25
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Cadence | 3 | 8.0 in 2023-11 and 8.2.6 by 2026-03 are the only dated versions; no published rhythm, release notes unreadable |
| Roadmap transparency | 1.5 | Press releases and blog only; no roadmap, no readable release notes |
| Say-do | 3 | GPUDirect announced 2024-11 and certified 2026-03; the RDMA for S3 GA and the vector database status remain open |
| Velocity | 3 | Frequent AI announcements; shipped capability detail per release is thin without release notes |
| Lifecycle stability | 3 | Same product line since 2015 with a single owner; support windows not published |
Commercial risk: 12.5 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Price and licence volatility | 2 | No metric change found; reseller per-TB figures vary widely by tier and term, and the vendor publishes none |
| Purchase constraints | 3 | Quote or reseller only; per-TB tiers by capacity and term; no free edition |
| Channel and access | 2.5 | Direct, OEM and reseller channel with a free trial; documentation was unreachable in this pass |
| Owner stability | 2.5 | Private, venture-backed; breakeven reported in 2024 (vendor); no acquisition found |
| Cost of staying supported | 2.5 | Support windows and upgrade terms not published |
Technical lock-in: 11.0 / 25 (lower is better)
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Formats | 3 | Proprietary distributed layout with its own metadata store; data leaves through the S3 API |
| Export path | 1.5 | Standard S3 reads and cross-region replication; no export tooling found |
| Stack coupling | 2.5 | Own storage and metadata stack; file access through HyperStore File Services |
| Hardware / cloud coupling | 1.5 | Own x86 servers, appliances, VMware, containers or public cloud; no validated-hardware requirement for software |
| Skills and tooling coupling | 2.5 | Vendor-specific console and policies; a modest skills pool |
Integrator fit: 12.5 / 20
| Criterion | Score | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Partner programme openness | 3 | OEM and validated designs with Lenovo, Supermicro, HPE GreenLake and AWS Outposts; programme terms not published |
| Multi-tenancy and self-service | 4 | Per-tenant IAM, RBAC, QoS, keys and metering; VMware Cloud Director Object Storage Extension documentation for providers (vendor) |
| API and infrastructure-as-code | 3 | Admin API and S3 API; Terraform or Ansible not found |
| Skills and certification | 2.5 | Vendor training; no public certification track found |
AI leverage: 6.5 / 20
How the product uses AI, scored per year like capability. Only GA counts.
| Criterion | 2019 | 2022 | Today | Latest step |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI workload support | 1 | 1 | 3.5 | 2026: 8.2.6 NVIDIA-Certified Storage, Foundation level, tested to 128 GPUs (2026-03-16); RDMA for S3 GA not confirmed |
| AI platform stack | 0 | 0 | 1.5 | 2025: Integrated vector database support announced 2025-07-08; HyperScale AI Data Platform as a Lenovo Validated Design (2026-03); reference designs rather than a GA serving stack |
| AI-assisted operations | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2015: None |
| Agent openness | 1.5 | 1.5 | 1.5 | 2015: S3 and admin APIs that scripts can drive; no MCP server found |
Year by year: 2015: 2.5 · 2016: 2.5 · 2017: 2.5 · 2018: 2.5 · 2019: 2.5 · 2020: 2.5 · 2021: 2.5 · 2022: 2.5 · 2023: 2.5 · 2024: 3.5 · 2025: 6 · 2026: 6.5
AI say-do, 2023 to 2026: 8 AI items announced; 3 GA, 0 still preview, 5 pending, 0 dropped. GPUDirect for object storage, the PyTorch connector and the NVIDIA certification shipped; RDMA for S3, the vector database, the two AI Data Platform announcements and BlueField-4 support have no GA statement a buyer can check.
Cloudian has spent 2024 to 2026 making HyperStore an AI data store: GPUDirect for object, a PyTorch connector and an NVIDIA certification on 8.2.6 are real, dated steps. The platform announcements around them (vector database, AI Data Platform, BlueField-4) are press text without version numbers. Nothing AI-assisted exists in operations and there is no agent interface beyond the APIs.
Reading
Cloudian scores on durability, security and tenancy: per-bucket protection across data centers, KMIP and FIPS claims, per-tenant QoS and metering, plus a Cohasset-assessed compliance mode. The immutability score sits below StorageGRID because the Veeam listing is for 7.4.2.5 from 2023, governance mode is not shown and no second backup vendor document exists. The AI work is the most concrete in this group, yet every release note is unreadable, so versions and dates are missing. A buyer should ask for a Veeam Ready entry on HyperStore 8.x and the Cohasset report with its version before relying on either.
Open questions and items to re-score
- Current version beyond 8.2.6, release notes and support lifecycle: docs.cloudian.com was unreachable.
- Versioning and multipart upload were not shown in a readable source; the API score rests on the Veeam listing and vendor pages.
- Object Lock governance mode, the Cohasset report and the HyperStore version it covers.
- A Veeam Ready entry for 8.x; Commvault, Rubrik and Veritas validation documents.
- FIPS 140-3 certificate 5068 and the Common Criteria EAL2 certificate were not checked on the certifying bodies' sites.
- RDMA for S3-compatible storage GA status; vector database GA status.
- File protocol locking, HDFS and Azure Blob support; the first release year; the price metric from Cloudian itself.
- All 2015 to 2022 steps and the 2022 security and durability triggers are grade C.
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