JSE-listed Maxtec has launched UbiquiStor, its newest Linux-based storage offering which the company says is the first true virtualisation storage solution to hit the market.
CEO and executive chairman George Talbot says research indicates that traditionally, networked storage systems are vastly under-utilised and often suffer from maximum usage rates of around 50%. "The UbiquiStor increases that utilisation rate to more than 90%."
The UbiquiStor `black box` is a storage management system based around the FalconstorIPStor software, a Linux-based management system. The UbiquiStor allows system administrators to administer multiple storage systems - from legacy hardware through to Raid systems - via a common management interface.
"It is all about storage enabling and virtualisation," says Andrew Brook, enterprise storage solutions technologist at Maxtec. "It is concerned with managing your storage capacity optimally... cutting out hours of tricky pre-configuration typical to installing more traditional storage solutions.
"The UbiquiStor software layer interprets various hardware plug-ins at the back-end and passes it out as a number of blocks of space," says Brook. Using the Java-based management GUI, IT managers can allocate space to users, mirror data and manage all storage connected to the system. Using UbiquiStor, allocating additional disk space to users or resizing existing space becomes a "drag-and-drop" process for the IT administrator.
Together with the IPStor software, the 'black box` system offered by Maxtec includes a full range of capabilities including mirroring, snaphots, replication and snapshots as well as off-site and synchronous mirroring.
UbiquiStor is IP-based, allowing enterprises to utilise existing infrastructure as well as offering substantial failover advantages.
UbiquiStor supports industry-standard components such as Gigabit Ethernet, Fibre Channel and SCSI, and will include support for the future standards of iSCSI and Infiniband. The UbiquiStor allows enterprises to integrate older SCSI arrays alongside newer fibre channel disks, extending the life of existing systems.
"Everyone is talking about virtualisation," says Brook. "This is the only solution that delivers true virtualisation now."
UbiquiStor will be available to the market in three models, catering for different storage needs. The UBS100 works with up to 650GB of usable storage space; the UBS200 scales up to two terabytes; and the top of the range UBS500 supports up to 5TB as well as catering for high availability scenarios and multiple location needs.
Financial view
On the business front, Talbot says the new offering will go a long way to alter the market image of Maxtec being a "box mover". However, he points out that UbiquiStor will form only a part of the group`s focus, and should rather be seen as a complementary product to what the company already offers.
The only issue concerning us at the moment, and the only issue that will concern our shareholders, is the figure in the bottom right-hand corner, and that`s what we are working on."
George Talbot, CEO and executive chairman, Maxtec
Maxtec`s books close for the year at the end of August and Talbot says the group figures are on track. The company posted below-expectation figures for its interim results but is expecting a recovery before the financial year-end.
Talbot admits he is concerned about the liquidity of the share, and Maxtec still falls short according to the new JSE listing requirements.
"We are aware we have too few shareholders, but we are investigating possibilities on increasing the numbers. I am confident we`ll meet requirements before the end of the year. The only issue concerning us at the moment, and the only issue that will concern our shareholders, is the figure in the bottom right-hand corner, and that`s what we are working on."
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