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EMC boots Egnyte from partner list after SHOCK software claims

We never tested 'lowest-level member's' integration with VNX

Top marks for chutzpah. Enterprise storage biz Egnyte is saying its software turns EMC VNX arrays into better file-sharers than EMC's own Syncplicity software does. EMC, meanwhile, says it has not "tested or validated" the product's integration with VNX and has terminated Egnyte from its Tech Connect programme as a result.

Egnyte's product is Storage Sync for VNX and it uses the CEPA API to implement bi-directional sync. Egnyte makes the claim that it maintains "the high-performance envelope of the VNX product family".

The product has a hybrid cloud and on-premises design with customers managing all files under a single namespace. The VNX is, in effect, given a cloud backend, with Egnyte claiming it can "cloud-enable existing VNX deployments to provide users with fast local and secure remote access to files of any size, and from any location or device."

Installation takes minutes, according to the company, and provides immediate remote access to VNX-stored data. The software integrates with Active Directory, LDAP and SSO for policy management and defining and managing users, devices and files.

Egnyte claims it provides:

  • Cross-site synchronisation for remote office or branch office (RoBo) deployments
  • Policy-based migration of on-premises files to the cloud
  • Business continuity in the event of a network outage or disaster

Egnyte CEO Vineet Jain said Syncplicity offers file sync and share across end-user devices using some of EMC's storage platforms, such as VNX, Isilon, and ExtremeIO, which offer high performance but have limited capacity in a single site.

According to the marketing bumf, Egnyte's software with VNX integration offers high performance, unlimited capacity (due to the elastic cloud), and works across multiple sites.

Jain said Storage Sync for VNX "provides a set of enterprise file services which goes beyond file sync and share, by leveraging local file shares on VNX storage systems and tying that to the cloud, enabling not only fast local access but also the collaboration capabilities made easy by the cloud."

What does EMC think of this?

Not a lot. In fact, it says "lowest-level" partner Egnyte will be kicked it out of the EMC Tech Connect programme, according to Forbes.

An EMC spokesperson said:

EMC did not test or validate Egnyte’s integration with VNX. The Egnyte press release was misleading, neither reviewed nor approved by EMC and in breach of the terms as the lowest-level member of the EMC Tech Connect referral program. Egnyte is being terminated from the Tech Connect program.

In July, Egnyte added Hyper-V support to Storage Sync, meaning, it said, that users "can access, edit and share business files from any storage device deployed in a Windows environment."

VMware was already supported.

We understand that EMC has sold a 125,000-seat Syncplicity system. It's a high stakes game.

Now, with its VNX integration, Goliath EMC has confirmed Egnyte's status as David. Let the giant killing - or midget swatting - commence. ®

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