Building an application that can be used in containers, which allows software to run across many computing environments, has become much simpler in recent years thanks to the work of Docker Inc. and other key providers. But there remain several technical obstacles.

One of the biggest is the difficulty of managing workloads such as databases that must hold onto information for an extended period of time. StorageOS Ltd, a two-year-old startup based out of London, is tackling the challenge with $2 million in newly raised funding from Bain Capital Ventures. The firm looks to reconcile the need for persistent storage with the technical challenges that make it difficult to meet the requirement in containerized environments.

What makes the issue particularly tricky is that the main obstacle also happens to be one of containers’ biggest strengthens: their dynamic nature. A developer can deploy an instance in a few seconds and simply replace it with a new one if something breaks or a new version is available. The problem is that any data inside gets deleted in the process, which requires implementing special mechanisms to prevent records from becoming permanently lost.

StorageOS offers a platform that aims to simplify that task. The software provides the ability to turn the disk or flash drives attached to a machine into a pool of capacity that runs separately from the containers on the server. As a result, the data inside is unaffected when instances are deleted.

The platform’s core storage provisioning mechanism is complemented by a variety of management features designed to ease day-to-day operations. An automated recovery function can sort out hardware failures without requiring manual input, while a control console enables administrators to keep track of the activity in their environments. They also can limit usage based on various operational considerations.

Bain’s cash infusion will enable StorageOS to expand the feature set and step up customer acquisition efforts. The soaring use of containers in the enterprise gives the startup plenty of potential revenue opportunities, but seizing them won’t be easy.

StorageOS will have set itself apart from several better-established providers that offer similar persistent storage capabilities. Chief among them is Portworx Inc., a fellow startup that enjoys a considerable head-start and has raised over $28 million from investors. Another factor to consider is that third-party container tools face growing competition from Docker, which offers homegrown management software in a bid to monetize the rapid adoption of its technology.

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