Seagate Technology is offering early-stage companies in Singapore free cloud storage and access to other resources, including data storage expertise. 

Called Lyve Cloud for Startups, the scheme provides 1 petabyte (PB) worth of cloud storage at no charge, for up to a year, according to the storage vendor. To qualify, applicants must be a locally registered entity and no older than five years. 

The service is offered via Seagate's Lyve Labs, an initiative set up to facilitate collaboration between the vendor and enterprises, with the aim to create data-driven products and services. Apart from Singapore, Lyve Labs also is available in Israel and the US city of Longmont.

Seagate said in a statement Wednesday Lyve Cloud for Startups was launched to help early-stage technology companies meet growing demand for data management tools. This was fuelled by increasing adoption of technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and Internet of Things, which heavily tapped data, the vendor said. 

It added that the free cloud storage programme would enable organisations to focus on their data initiatives, rather than worrying about data security, egress fees, and API (application programming interface) charges. 

With Lyve Cloud for Startups, startups would be able to access "all necessary tools and resources" to scale up, including data security and brand exposure. 

Seagate said the scheme offered support from its team of data experts on questions related to the startups' Lyve Cloud storage as well as opportunities to market their brand through featured case studies. Their data also would be protected against ransomware and backed up with the storage vendor's services, including automatic data replication and encryption, Seagate said. 

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