3291: How Panzura is Modernizing Hybrid Cloud for AI Workloads

In this episode of Tech Talks Daily, I’m joined by Glen Shok, VP of Product Marketing at Panzura, for a detailed look into how the company is rethinking hybrid cloud storage with the release of CloudFS 8.5 Adapt.

CloudFS 8.5 isn’t just another update. Built in direct response to customer feedback, it introduces powerful new features like Instant Node and Regional Store that redefine performance, availability, and business continuity. Instant Node allows failed systems to be replaced or migrated in under five minutes.

 Regional Store brings high-speed data access closer to end users around the world while reducing latency and cloud egress costs.

As Glen explains, the latest release meets the growing demand for flexibility in the face of geopolitical uncertainty, rising cloud costs, and evolving IT infrastructure. Panzura is helping organizations maintain uptime, protect data, and adapt quickly, whether moving away from VMware or modernizing a global IT footprint. CloudFS 8.5 Adapt enables this without forcing customers to compromise on control, performance, or security.

We also explore how Panzura’s vision for autonomic data infrastructure is becoming a reality. With every CloudFS node sharing full configuration metadata, new nodes can spin up almost instantly. AI plays a central role here too. Through Panzura Data Services, AI tracks behavioral anomalies to detect early signs of data exfiltration, ransomware, or internal threats. This provides not just alerts, but the ability to interdict and isolate risky behavior in real time.

Looking ahead, Glen shares how Panzura is preparing to support AI workloads directly where unstructured data lives. Instead of migrating terabytes to external platforms, organizations can train language models in place, reducing cost and complexity. With features like enhanced RBAC, native Entra ID support, and a virtual data lake model on the horizon, Panzura is clearly positioning itself at the intersection of enterprise storage and AI innovation.

If you work in cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, data governance, or AI deployment, this episode offers practical insights into the challenges IT teams face today and the technologies that are solving them.