AWS Elastic Block Storage, or EBS, often leads customers to overspend on cloud storage. Most users only utilize 10% to 30% of their provisioned capacity, which means they fork over more money than necessary. Datafy, a startup, aims to change that by providing finer control over how customers manage their cloud block storage.
Gurdip Kalley, Datafy’s business development head, points out that EBS functions like direct-attached storage in the cloud. This setup can confuse DevOps teams, especially when they’re trying to guess usage patterns in Kubernetes environments. “EBS is elastic,” Kalley explains, “but not completely so. Clients pay for capacity upfront, much like paying for mobile storage, whether they actually use it or not.”
Kalley notes that EBS generates more revenue than other AWS storage options, raking in around $10 billion. Its popularity stems from being the go-to option for lifting and shifting storage for EC2 and EKS applications. However, scaling presents a challenge. While increasing capacity is straightforward, reducing it isn’t. Customers must create a new, smaller volume, migrate data, sever ties with the old volume, and connect the application to the new one. Kalley says, “Customers call it a migration. They might do it once or twice, but after that, it’s a hassle.”
Datafy’s solution involves deploying an agent across all customer AWS instances. This agent assesses volume sizes and replaces larger volumes with multiple smaller ones. The innovation lies in how Datafy virtualizes these volumes, making them function as a single unit. This allows customers to scale their storage needs more easily.
According to Kalley, Datafy’s process is still entirely based on AWS concepts. “We copy data from the original volume to new Datafy volumes,” he explains. Once the transfer is complete, the original volume can be deleted, leading to cost savings. Datafy can adjust capacity in real-time while minimizing disruption.
As for pricing, Datafy charges based on the capacity it manages, at 20% of what AWS charges. While that might sound steep, Kalley is confident customers will end up paying significantly less than they do now for over-provisioned EBS storage. For instance, if you currently spend $100 a month and then bring that down to $40, Datafy’s fee would be just $48—and you only pay if you actually save money.
Datafy plans to launch in the AWS marketplace in Q1 2025, with plans to roll out support for Azure and Google Cloud Platform later that year.