HP delivers storage simplicity with new HP StorageWorks offerings

HP recently unveiled new and enhanced storage solutions that will enable customers to reduce IT costs and speed the implementation of enterprise storage.

Updates to the HP StorageWorks Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA) portfolio and the introduction of a new HP StorageWorks Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution provide more choice for customers who wish to build an adaptive enterprise that can quickly capitalise on change.

The latest HP storage innovations help customers get more out of their storage investments through faster implementation, greater interoperability and reduced management costs. The new offerings include:

* HP StorageWorks EVA 3000 and EVA 5000 with FATA drives: the easy-to-configure EVA 3000 and 5000 disk arrays are now available with Fibre Attached Technology Adapted (FATA) hard drives, which provide a lower-cost alternative for reliable data storage and data recovery. The EVA 3000 and 5000 with FATA are part of HP`s growing arsenal of information lifecycle management (ILM) solutions. These help customers manage the cost of storing data by providing tiered storage options based on the material value of the information being stored, and the frequency of access to that information.

HP EVA 3000 with FATA: HP will offer the EVA 3000 as an integrated, entry-level, 2TB solution that ships with eight 250GB FATA drives. Individual FATA drives can be added to the basic EVA 5000 set-up.

HP StorageWorks NAS 1500s: the latest HP NAS offering can be up-and-running at customer sites within minutes and features multi-protocol file sharing and print serving, and comes pre-installed with the Windows Storage Server 2003 operating system and HP management tools. The entry-level solution is ideal for small to medium-size enterprises or branch office locations that wish to consolidate their file-and-print serving environments.

* HP OpenView Storage Area Manager (SAM) 3.2: now features a standards-based interface to manage storage devices supporting the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S).

"HP continues to deliver the broadest portfolio of storage hardware and software solutions to meet the requirements of small to medium-size as well as larger enterprise customers, coupled with implementation and vertical market expertise that is unmatched in the industry," said Vic Brits, storage business unit manager at HP. "There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all when it comes to our customers` storage needs, and our continued leadership is the result of our commitment to addressing our customers` top information management concerns."

Concurrently, HP also announced that for the eighth consecutive quarter, it holds the number one position in the Western European total disk storage systems market, with 28.5% market share, according to first quarter (calendar year) 2004 figures from IDC (1).

IDC also reports that for the first time in two years, HP shipped the most network attached storage (NAS) units in Western Europe during Q1`04. HP claimed 16.5% market share in the NAS market, after increasing unit shipments by more than 400% year-over-year - a growth rate ten times greater than the top five competitors.

HP also grew SAN revenue by 12.1% year-over-year, while its competitors` SAN revenue declined by 2.5% year-over-year. HP captured 37.9% market share in SANs in Q104 - compared to 34.6% during the previous quarter - and is the number one vendor in this important market for the eighth consecutive quarter.

In a separate report, Gartner also ranked HP the number four player worldwide in storage management software for 2003 (2).