This IDC Flash covers Symantec's announcement of an add-on Big Data analytics solution for its Cluster File System (CFS). The Symantec CFS solution provides an alternate layer of data management and resiliency to a compatible, open source Hadoop distribution. Symantec's enterprise-oriented add-on enables customers to leverage their existing infrastructure and expertise for Big Data analytics.

Symantec has partnered with Hortonworks to license the Hortonworks Hadoop stack. As a part of this agreement, Symantec has developed a Hadoop connector for its Cluster File System, which is built on its Veritas Storage Foundation that is a mainstay of the host-based data management stack in most enterprise environments. This connector replaces HDFS and allows Map/Reduce operations to be run on existing servers that run CFS. Accordingly, Symantec plans to make this software available at no additional cost to its enterprise customers that already have a license for its Cluster File System suite.