Teams that manage file storage across enterprise file shares, high-performance computing, and AI workloads often end up juggling multiple storage systems. ZettaLane Systems aims to simplify that with MayaNAS, a software-defined NAS platform now available in the Microsoft Marketplace. MayaNAS delivers one unified storage engine that supports everything from traditional NFS and SMB shares to parallel file systems like Lustre and pNFS, all running on Azure and backed by Blob Storage.
What makes MayaNAS particularly compelling is its ability to grow with an organization’s needs. A team can start with simple file shares for home directories or project storage and later scale into GPU training and simulation workloads without switching to a different product. This avoids the data migration headaches and operational complexity that often come with adopting a second storage solution. MayaNAS runs entirely in the customer’s own Azure subscription, integrating directly with Azure Blob Storage for cost-effective capacity and using Premium SSD for metadata and small blocks.
What Is MayaNAS?
MayaNAS is a software-defined NAS platform built on OpenZFS that provides multi-protocol file and block storage in a single deployment. It is designed to run on Azure Virtual Machines inside the customer’s subscription, with Azure Blob Storage serving as the underlying capacity tier. The platform supports NFS v3/v4.1, SMB 3 with Active Directory, S3 object access, iSCSI, and NVMe over TCP, as well as the parallel file systems Lustre and pNFS.
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One of the standout architectural choices is how MayaNAS handles data placement. Metadata and small blocks stay on Azure Premium SSD for low latency, while large blocks are written directly to Blob Storage. This means capacity grows at object-storage cost with no upper limit and no need for tiering jobs between a fast tier and a slower one. Performance is determined by the size of the VM, not by capacity, so teams can independently scale compute and storage.
What Stands Out
Unified Protocol Support
MayaNAS provides a single storage system for NFS, SMB, S3, Lustre, and pNFS. This eliminates the need to maintain separate appliances or software stacks for different use cases. Windows users join Active Directory for domain-based access, while Linux clients connect over NFS without special clients.
Direct Azure Integration
Deployment happens from the Microsoft Marketplace in minutes, with billing through the customer’s Azure account. The software runs inside the customer’s own subscription and virtual network, so all data stays private and under the customer’s control. Storage accounts, keys, and policies remain fully managed by the customer.
High Availability and Data Protection
MayaNAS supports active-active high availability across Azure availability zones, with automatic failover. Data protection features include OpenZFS snapshots, compression, encryption, and cross-region replication. This makes it suitable for enterprise workloads that require resilience and uptime.
Who It’s For
MayaNAS is ideal for Azure customers who need a single storage solution that can handle both enterprise file sharing and demanding parallel workloads. It suits organizations running Windows and Linux environments that want to simplify their storage stack without sacrificing performance or manageability.
Teams that are building AI and HPC pipelines on Azure will find the Lustre and pNFS support particularly valuable. MayaNAS has already demonstrated strong performance in the MLPerf Storage v3.0 benchmark, where it was the only submission to run Lustre directly on cloud object storage. This gives enterprises a validated path to parallel file storage without proprietary hardware.
Pricing and Availability
MayaNAS is available in the Microsoft Marketplace with a free software trial. Pricing is based on a per-vCPU-hour meter that appears on the Azure bill. There is no per-terabyte charge, so capacity can grow without linear cost increases. The software includes all protocols in the same meter, so teams do not need to pay extra for Lustre or pNFS access.
Customers can choose from three plan types when deploying: NAS (for NFS, SMB, S3), Lustre (for parallel file system workloads), or pNFS (for standards-based parallel access). Each plan runs the same underlying engine, so migrating between them is seamless. The solution has also achieved co-sell ready status in the Microsoft AI Cloud Partner Program.
What Makes It Worth Considering
MayaNAS stands out because it removes the traditional trade-off between ease of use and performance. Enterprise file shares are simple to set up with Active Directory integration, while parallel file systems deliver the throughput needed for GPU training. Because both modes run on the same engine, administrators avoid learning multiple management interfaces or dealing with incompatible data formats.
The use of Azure Blob Storage as a capacity layer is also smart. Teams get unlimited capacity at object-storage prices without the need for tiering or manual data movement. Performance is set by the VM size and can be scaled independently. This decoupling of compute and storage is a modern approach that fits well with cloud-native operations.
Verdict
MayaNAS is a versatile, cloud-native NAS that handles everything from file shares to AI workloads on Azure. Its unified protocol support, direct integration with Azure Marketplace, and active-active high availability make it a strong choice for organizations that want to consolidate their storage on a single platform. The free trial and per-vCPU-hour pricing lower the barrier to evaluation, and the MLPerf validation provides confidence for demanding parallel workloads. For teams already on Azure, MayaNAS offers a practical path to simpler, more flexible storage management.
Frequently asked questions
MayaNAS supports NFS v3/v4.1, SMB 3 with Active Directory, S3, iSCSI, NVMe/TCP, and the parallel file systems Lustre and pNFS.
Pricing is based on vCPU-hours with no per-terabyte charge. A free trial is available, and billing goes through the Azure account.
Yes, MayaNAS deploys into your own Azure subscription and virtual network, keeping everything private and within your control.
Yes, SMB shares join Active Directory, allowing Windows users to connect using existing domain credentials and access managed via Windows ACLs.
MayaNAS offers active-active high availability across Azure availability zones with automatic failover, ensuring data protection and uptime.
Yes, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) can mount MayaNAS shares using the standard Kubernetes NFS volume plugin.
Absolutely. MayaNAS supports Lustre and pNFS for GPU training and high-performance computing, and its performance has been verified in the MLPerf Storage benchmark.
