Datacraft Asia has laid out its vision for the next step in the convergence of network and storage infrastructure: the storage-ready network. This is a single intelligent infrastructure providing data, voice, video and storage services, and has a common framework for security, quality of service and management.
The hallmark of a storage-ready network is a carefully planned architecture that has taken into consideration current and future storage requirements. It addresses two fundamental layers of Datacraft`s services-based Application Network architecture framework - connectivity and platform - to deliver business benefits to the enterprise.
"While many customers have embraced storage consolidation projects, technology and approaches to date haven`t addressed the underlying storage network infrastructure," said Steve Faris, Datacraft`s General Manager for Network Storage Solutions. "The unfortunate irony is, while most organisations undergo storage consolidation, they proliferate storage networks, creating unnecessary costs, management complexity and separate security policies."
Datacraft has created a new Storage & Networking Convergence Assessment Service to assist organisations to take the essential first steps in migrating to a storage-ready network and realising the benefits of a single intelligent infrastructure.
"Organisations typically deploy storage solutions for three main reasons: cost reduction; availability and business continuity; and data growth and scalability. However, these deployments can result in additional costs, management resources and discontinuity in other areas of the enterprise. Our new assessment service brings clients back to their original aims by reducing cost, increasing business flexibility and lowering risk across the entire enterprise," said Faris.
Through a series of questionnaires, interviews, documentation review and workshops with business and technical representatives, Datacraft can assess current storage and networking infrastructure and processes, as well as an organisation`s stated future directions. Using gap analysis validated against business requirements, a draft technical architecture and action plan are developed to assist the organisation in moving towards a storage-ready network.
Today, many organisations are already addressing convergence with data, video and voice and storage-ready networks take this convergence one-step further. Using Cisco Systems` new MDS 9000 family of Multilayer Directors and Fabric Switches, Datacraft enables customers to add storage connectivity to their multi-service networks by providing new functionality such as VSAN for storage network consolidation and multi-protocol support with FC, FCIP and iSCSI to enable convergence.
Datacraft is rolling out the storage-ready network assessment service in conjunction with a 10-city regional marketing road show with key solution partners EMC and Cisco Systems. Datacraft is an EMC global value-added systems integration (VASI) partner, and one of a select group of EMC Authorized Services Network (ASN) partners in the Asia Pacific. Datacraft is also a Cisco Gold Certified Partner and Cisco`s largest overall systems integration partner in the Asia Pacific.
Datacraft Network Storage solutions are designed to address fundamental network storage requirements including network storage infrastructure, storage consolidation, backup and recovery, high availability, disaster recovery and automated storage management.
As a new business solution, it is difficult to ascertain whether Datacraft`s Storage & Networking Convergence Assessment service business will have a material impact on this financial year.
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Datacraft Asia is the leading independent IT services company in Asia Pacific. It specialises in providing IT solutions and services that enable businesses to operate seamlessly across Application Networks. Application Networks are the convergence of two previous separate areas of IT: application integration and network infrastructure.
The group`s expertise in networking integration, application deployment and global managed services makes it uniquely positioned to deliver the IT solutions that businesses need to connect information, applications, business processes, people and organisations. A member of the worldwide Dimension Data, Datacraft Asia is listed on the main board of the Singapore Exchange and is a component company of the Straits Times Index. Anchored by a distributed headquarters in Hong Kong and Singapore, Datacraft spans more than 50 offices and 1 200 staff in 13 Asia Pacific markets. More information about Datacraft Asia can be found on the Web at www.datacraft-asia.com.
Dimension Data
Dimension Data Holdings plc (LSE: DDT) is a leading global technology company. The group provides solutions and services that optimise and manage the performance of IT infrastructures to enable business to build competitive advantage. To achieve this, the group delivers solutions using its proprietary `Application Network` architectural framework and its expertise in networking, application integration and managed services.
Dimension Data, founded in 1983, had revenues of $2.1 billion in 2002 and operates in 30+ countries with over 9 000 employees.
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