BeeGFS was originally developed by mathematical research center Fraunhofer ITWM, part of the German applied research organization Fraunhofer institute. Since 2014, ThinkParQ has continued development of the hardware-independent POSIX (portable operating system interface) parallel file system on a commercial basis, initially for high performance computing, AI and Oil & Gas.

The product enables the management of any I/O (input/output) profile requirements “with no performance restrictions.” ThinkParQ says it can increase productivity by delivering faster results, as well as making it possible to apply new data analysis methodologies without altering existing workflows or applications.

The source code for BeeGFS is publicly available and comes in both a Community Edition, which can be used free of charge, and an Enterprise Edition that requires a professional support subscription contract. The Enterprise contract gives access to the file system's enterprise features and functionalities with full technical support. The license fee also helps fund further research and development of BeeGFS.

ThinkParQ entered into a technology partnership with ELEMENTS in October focusing on delivering BeeGFS for broadcast and film production, as well as post-production facilities, and both partners are confident that it will be rapidly adopted by the M&E market.

"BeeGFS performs exceptionally, is simple to deploy and offers a high degree of manageability," comments ThinkParQ CEO Frank Herold. "We believe strongly that BeeGFS can create the same customer experience in M&E as it has in our other market areas. Together with ELEMENTS, BeeGFS will enable the creation of future-proof and high-performance media entertainment workflows."