The VAR Guy

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: rather than stay entirely on-premise or move entirely to the cloud, 2010 is going to be the year software developers, managed service providers, and resellers really begin to look to implement hybrid solutions. The question then becomes: how? One potential answer comes from i365 — Seagate‘s cloud storage subsidiary. Here’s the scoop.

i365, the company formed in 2008 from Seagate acquisitions EVault and MetaLINCS, offers managed cloud storage and SaaS (software as a service) product lines dating back to 1997, well before the term “cloud computing” was coined. These days, i365 exists to push the hybrid storage model and widespread adoption of Seagate’s cloud, says i365 General Manager Terry Cunningham. Seagate, one of the largest hard drive manufacturers in the world, already provides hard drives to many data centers, but it seems like now they want to build their own brand and push their own model.

As part of this push, i365 began offering in October 2009 a network appliance that makes both a local- and cloud-based disaster recovery backup, potentially delivering the best of both worlds to clients. Today, i365 is opening up their cloud platform to paying developers, so any application can be hosted at one of Seagate’s data centers and offered as SaaS. i365 also offers an API to handle metadata, so only absolutely mission-critical files will be stored off-site, if that’s what a solutions provider or the end-customer prefers.

With the new EVault Cloud-Connected Services Platform, i365 says ISVs can…

“SaaSify” their on-premise application and begin generating a recurring revenue stream. ISVs can get a complete solution from one partner, which can greatly simplify the development process, minimize the investment they have to make, and accelerate their time to market.

Seagate seems to be investing quite a bit in a hybrid cloud future — a smart move considering the company needs to diversify beyond traditional hardware. Also of note: The SaaS and cloud markets are filled with storage as a service and online backup companies. And many of those companies continue to attract venture capital dollars.

In stark contrast, i365′s SaaS approach could allow the company — and its channel partners — to push beyond traditional online storage opportunities.

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