Container storage startup MayaData Inc. wants to see more rapid adoption of the open-source OpenEBS project it leads after securing $26 million in funding today from investors including AME Cloud Ventures, DataCore Software and Insight Partners.

OpenEBS is a cloud native storage platform that provides persistent and highly scalable block storage for container environments, which are used to host the components of modern applications. It’s designed to be used with Kubernetes, the orchestration tool used for managing large clusters of containers, and has the effect of transforming Kubernetes into a data layer that can act as a storage service for individual workloads.

OpenEBS effectively acts as a kind of control center for stateful applications running on Kubernetes, helping companies to avoid cloud lock-in, and is available as a software-as-a-service or on-premises. The software includes storage controllers can run anywhere that Kubernetes can run, which means any cloud or even bare metal servers or on top of a traditional shared storage system. Critically, the data is also accessed via containers as opposed to being stored in an off-platform, shared storage system.

One of the main benefits of using OpenEBS is the increased agility it offers for developers. OpenEBS has the effect of extending developers’ ability to match storage policies to specific workloads. This means they can create their own block sizes, replication patterns, back up policies and more, without having to ask for permission from a central storage authority.

The popularity of OpenEBS and MayaData’s idea of using Kubernetes itself as a data layer has really taken hold, with weekly downloads for the open source version of the platform rising by 500% in 2019. Big name customers using the platform include the financial news service Bloomberg L.P., Comcast Cable Communications LLC and Orange S.A.

The participation of Insight Partners in today’s round is beneficial for reasons besides just giving the company more financial clout. Insight participated in the round through its portfolio company DataCore Software Corp., which specializes in software-defined storage technology. DataCore said it plans to contribute both intellectual property and personnel to MayaData’s cause, to help it advance the development of the OpenEBS platform.

“Proven capabilities like continuous data protection, advanced mirroring, and performance optimizations will augment MayaData products,” MayaData officials said in a statement.

“Persistent storage with advanced data services are a requirement to move more tier-1 applications to these platforms,” said Insight Partners’ co-founder and Managing Director Jeff Horing. “This is why we are confident in our investments in this space and that with our and DataCore’s support, MayaData’s growth strategy will become the storage and data management technology of choice for Kubernetes users.”

Image: MayaData