Incipient, Inc., a leading developer and provider of storage virtualization technology and automated data migration software, today announced the results of a product validation report by Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) Lab on Incipient software. The report, which includes a data migration from an EMC DMX to a 3PAR InServ disk array, highlights the benefits that can be achieved by customers deploying intelligent storage services in the storage network. It provides a hands-on review of each Incipient storage service offering such as non-disruptive data migration, copy and automated storage provisioning. The report illustrates the value of Incipient's data migration feature set and found Incipient to perform on-line data migrations with no application downtime and no impact on performance. The report also provides an overview of server, network and storage virtualization technologies that have evolved in recent years towards a concept that ESG refers to as Infrastructure 2.0, which is used to consolidate resources, increase utilization and save money on hardware, power, cooling and space in the data center.

Demand is High, Savings are Significant

As part of the report, ESG conducted a survey of large enterprise-class data center managers asking if and when their organizations would deploy a storage virtualization solution; 80 percent indicated they will be using a storage virtualization solution in the next 24 months. ESG states storage virtualization adoption is on the rise, but more importantly, early adopters are achieving significant savings.

ESG Analyst Brian Garrett says, "Consolidating storage services for a heterogeneous mix of disk arrays onto a centrally managed storage virtualization platform results in significant savings in capital equipment, software licensing and operational costs. Additionally, the Incipient approach to embed its software in Cisco SAN switches protects the investment companies have made in those devices. Storage virtualization solutions previously evaluated by ESG lack the rich and centralized repository of array specific configuration information provided by Incipient."

ESG Lab Test Environment

The validation test environment included a mix of servers attached through a core-to-edge SAN with Cisco MDS SAN switches at the core and Brocade switches at the edge. Incipient software ran on Cisco switches equipped with storage services modules (SSMs). A heterogeneous mix of servers (Windows, Linux and Solaris) and host multipathing (Windows MPIO, EMC Powerpath, Linux DM) were connected through the SAN to a heterogeneous mix of disk arrays from EMC, IBM and 3PAR. Incipient software was tested at many levels. For example, it was used to move volumes used by Microsoft Exchange and Windows network drives from an EMC DMX to a 3PAR InServ disk array while e-mail traffic continued and file copies ran -- all worked without error and impact to operations.

ESG Lab Report Key Findings

The ESG Lab Validation Report(TM) also examined Incipient software's capabilities for virtualizing applications, deep discovery, manageability, automated provisioning and workflow, as well as on-line data migration. Key findings from the report include:

• Ease of integration - Configuring and managing storage services with Incipient is straightforward and intuitive.
• Depth of SAN discovery - Incipient delivers a rich, centralized repository of array-specific configuration information which is critical when configuring virtual volumes to ensure optimal performance and protection.
• Centralized management - Incipient provides a centralized platform that can be used to reduce costs and complexity associated with routine storage management tasks.
• Intuitive provisioning - Incipient provides an intuitive, centralized and automated approach to storage provisioning.
• Ease of management - With Incipient it is easy to configure and monitor Incipient network-based copy jobs within or between heterogeneous collections of disk arrays.
• High availability - Failover and system upgrades perform flawlessly and without interruption to "live" applications and hosts.

"Demand for Incipient software continues as companies look to consolidate data centers and storage infrastructures" says Incipient, Inc. Senior Vice President of Marketing and Alliances Robert Infantino. "Consistent with ESG's findings, Incipient software is playing a key role in responding to these corporate initiatives. This further solidifies our credentials as one of the fast-growing independent providers of storage virtualization and data migration software today."

To download a copy of the ESG Lab Validation Report on Incipient software visit http://www.incipient.com/products/productreviews.htm.