Hitachi Data Systems has extended its Application Optimised Storage solutions (launched in May 2004), with the release of a new Serial ATA (SATA) Intermix Option for its Thunder 9500V Series of modular storage systems.
This new option, which can be added to existing Thunder 9500 V systems, creates an 'in-the-box' high-speed Fibre Channel and lower cost native SATA tiered storage capability.
"Buyers of enterprise storage want data from different applications to be routed to the most appropriate storage devices based on availability, performance, capacity and cost criteria," says Fanie van Rensburg, MD of Shoden Data Systems, the local distributor of Hitachi Data Systems.
"The new Thunder SATA Intermix Option - offering up to 107TB in a single storage system - is targeted at the increasing number of fixed content applications where the need for data integrity and availability is high, but access requirements are much less frequent than with operational data."
Fixed content applications include e-mail archiving, database archiving, digital archiving by broadcasters or medical systems and disk backup.
"Many ATA-based solutions on the market today are only suitable for desktop applications, and not appropriate for enterprise storage," continues Van Rensburg. "However, there is a demand for appropriately adapted solutions for low-access applications, such as archiving. Compliance legislation has also raised the reliability threshold for certain archive applications to the same level as operational data."
To further meet regulatory compliance requirements, the company's Open LDEV Guard data retention utility provides a disk-based WORM capability, allowing customers in both open systems and mainframe environments to lock down archived data on HDS storage systems, making it non-erasable and non-rewritable for prescribed periods.
"Rather than pursuing a single-solution storage architecture, today's storage managers want a variety of solutions with price points and performance attributes appropriate to the various applications and jobs," says John McArthur, Group VP, Storage Research, IDC.
"However, they also want to manage these solutions using common management tools. Hitachi Data Systems has met these requirements with its Application Optimised Storage initiative. And with the SATA Intermix Option, the company has correctly identified that in support of data retention for compliance initiatives, while the performance requirements may be lower, the data integrity bar must be on par with storage for online transaction databases."
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With offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Shoden Data Systems (Pty) Ltd is the sole distributor for Hitachi Data Systems in SA.
Shoden Data Systems also has strategic agreements with CNT - a provider of storage networking solutions, products and services- and is a reseller of Fujitsu Siemens Computers. In addition, the company is a Veritas Premier Partner, providing integrated, managed, best-of-breed storage area network solutions to the marketplace, and also distributes VMware, virtual machine software for Intel-based systems.
Based on more than 200 collective years of experience in the service, support and marketing of Hitachi products, Shoden Data Systems uses its intellectual capital and industry leading products to provide customers with total solutions in the storage, enterprise servers and connectivity arenas. The following offerings are available:
1. Storage - HDS Freedom storage range, including the enterprise-level Lightning 9900 series and the modular Thunder 9500 series
2. Connectivity - CNT and Brocade
3. Servers - Fujitsu Siemens PrimePower range of servers
Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems leverages global R&D resources to develop storage solutions built on industry-leading technology with the performance, availability and scalability to maximise customers' ROI and minimise their risk. By focusing on the customer's perspective as we apply the best hardware, software and services from Hitachi and our partners, we uniquely satisfy our customers' business needs. With 2 800 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct and indirect channels in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries. Its customers include more than 50% of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit www.hds.com.
Hitachi, Ltd
Hitachi, Ltd (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 326 000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2003 (ended 31 March 2004) consolidated sales totalled 8 632.4 billion yen ($81.4 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://www.hitachi.com.
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