Computer Associates (CA) (Africa) has released the latest iteration of a solution designed to assist IT departments and resellers to design storage area network (SAN) environments that meet requirements for consolidated data storage, increased operational efficiency and lower cost of ownership.
In its latest guise, CA`s BrightStor SAN Designer is said to provide new levels of visual design capabilities incorporating the use of up-to-date SAN component knowledge and industry best practices.
Dion Gerrans, storage division manager at CA, says that with the average sized company potentially storing over 100 terabytes of data by the end of next year - nearly a one hundred-fold increase over figures of just two or three years ago - the SAN is assuming a pivotal role in the corporate computing environment.
"SAN Designer allows for rapid and reliable design of complex SANs incorporating multiple platforms - IBM and HP, for example - within a corporate-wide strategy," he says.
"Designing a SAN has traditionally been a tedious, time-consuming task often requiring many weeks of trial and error. SAN Designer allows users to visually create the ideal working design quickly and efficiently using icons that represent either branded or generic SAN devices.
"It can easily position a component correctly on the SAN to optimise performance, while answering key questions about what has been included and what has been left out of the design," he says.
"It encapsulates the skills of many experienced designers into a single application that can be used to optimise data paths and eliminate bottle necks at the all-important testing phase, prior to commissioning.
"At a time when storage needs are escalating and IT staff complements are not, SAN Designer offers a solution for simplifying the deployment and ongoing management of storage networks - whether the design is from scratch or it is used to expand an existing SAN implementation," comments Gerrans.
Capable of interfacing with Microsoft`s Visio Developer package - and incorporating the "look and feel" of this package - SAN Designer can be used with the minimum of training.
"Designing a SAN has traditionally been a tedious, time-consuming task for specialists, often requiring many weeks of trial and error," he says. "However, SAN Designer can produce a plan for the implementation a reliable SAN without the need for highly skilled resources.
"And as it is a complementary product to CA`s SAN Manager, companies can manage their SAN lifecycle from conception to end-of-life," he adds.
CA is currently offering a free, on-site demonstration of SAN Designer to interested readers.
Share
Editorial contacts