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DataCore Software Targets VMware Users With 'Free To Try' Virtual SANs & Thin Provisioning

DataCore Software, the leading vendor of hardware independent, storage virtualisation SAN solutions, recently announced that it will showcase its storage virtualisation thin provisioning, disaster recovery and business continuity solutions at the Virtualisation Forum 2007 (Melbourne, October 2, 2007 and Sydney October 4, 2007). DataCore does for storage what VMware does for servers, providing users with dramatically improved disk utilisation through automated thin provisioning, in addition to advanced data protection and the flexibility to easily manage storage and its growth. VMware users can evaluate the cost saving impacts of thin provisioning and SAN virtual storage by simply downloading DataCore’s free to try storage server software are available at: www.datacore.com/download.asp.

DataCore also recently announced that DataCore’s thin provisioning and virtual SAN software can run ‘on virtual hardware’ on VMware virtual machines, making it even easier for VMware users to try, see: www.datacore.com/VMstoragefoundation.

Real-life Scenarios: Virtualising and Integrating Storage and Server Infrastructures

Melbourne-based Kingston City Council recently virtualised and integrated seamlessly its storage and server infrastructures using DataCore SANmelody and VMware ESX servers. Kingston had numerous servers with directly attached storage, making administration and the sharing of storage across systems difficult at best. “DataCore's SANmelody provided our business with the technology to build an active cluster in production – ensuring we have maximum uptime, almost identical to what we have achieved by implementing VMware ESX for our server infrastructure,” stated Kevin Chan, IT infrastructure manager, Kingston City Council.

“Its become indispensable,” said DataCore and VMware user Ryan Engh, IS Infrastructure Manager, Wasatch Advisors. “Before DataCore, we were buying more storage than we actually needed at any time because we had to over-allocate to make sure that the capacity was there when we needed it. Now, with DataCore thin provisioning, we only allocate what we need when we need it. We’ve dramatically reduced our storage over-capacity, and we have effectively reduced our costs and energy footprint by more than 50%.”

The Power of Thin Provisioning: Revolutionising Storage Management and Promoting Energy Savings Worldwide

Thin provisioning is revolutionising storage management and energy savings in data centres around the world, but most potential users have limited access to the technology because vendors restrict their thin provisioning solutions to work only with their own higher priced storage arrays and disks. DataCore’s affordable, hardware independent, thin provisioning software solutions enable any business to fully participate in the cost saving benefits of virtualising and consolidating storage. By offering storage virtualisation and thin provisioning as a complete solution, DataCore gives users the two-punch combination required to knockout inefficient storage proliferation and its damaging consequences to their businesses and our world.

“Green” Technology Promotes Energy Efficiency, Saves Money and is Now Available to All to Try

DataCore thin provisioning non-disruptively and automatically allocates physical storage capacity to application servers only when it is actually used. This dramatically improves storage utilisation and can reduce the total number of disk drives required, and the energy needed to operate and cool them, by half or more.

Energy & Cost Savings, see: www.datacore.com/solutions/thin_provisioning.asp

Thin provisioning solutions as offered by other vendors, such as 3PAR and HDS, require the purchase of their proprietary storage hardware that typically cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, making it difficult or impossible for those who are interested in trying out thin provisioning.

“Often, a 'big box' solution' isn't a complete 'solution' at all,” said David Bull, technical sales director, DataCore Australia. “It is a very simplistic approach that does not take into account future needs and the role of storage and data protection within the bigger picture. It is also a very expensive option, one that normally costs over $100,000.”

Pricing for DataCore thin provisioning software solutions starts at $1,000. So, how come DataCore can give everyone the opportunity to try out thin provisioning while other vendors can’t?

DataCore is Versatile, Network Software: No Forklift Required

“It is simple,” said George Teixeira, CEO and president, DataCore Software. “Our thin provisioning software is not locked to the hardware. It runs on any standard, Windows server and makes thin provisioning an open, network-based service that works with nearly all storage brands and devices. It doesn’t require the purchase of big arrays or expensive hardware. This makes trying thin provisioning easy on the users. Installation takes just a few minutes. Being hardware independent software also makes it easy for us to encourage people to jump on the energy and money saving, thin-provisioning bandwagon by making a 30-day trial available for download from our website. We thought, ‘Since we are the only ones who can let everyone try this energy saving technology, it’s something we ought to do.’”

DataCore is also betting that those who do take DataCore thin provisioning solution out for a spin will join the ranks of DataCore’s thousands of customers worldwide who are currently enjoying efficiency and savings of thin provisioning storage with DataCore’s SANmelody and SANsymphony software solutions.

“Thin provisioning is a great solution,” said DataCore and VMware user, Mike Gayle, Director of IT, Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale. “What made us choose DataCore, besides its low cost of implementation, is that it’s portable software that’s not dependent on a single vendor’s expensive hardware. My investment is protected because DataCore thin provisioning will keep working for me over different generations of platforms for much longer than any hardware-based solution can.”

To obtain a 30-day trial copy of DataCore thin provisioning solution, please visit www.datacore.com/download.asp today.

According to Alberto Natal Cruz, PACS System Administrator, Hunterdon Medical Center, “We truly love the fact that DataCore frees us to use whatever hardware WE deem worthy or necessary. We get to decide what is best for us, not some other vendor. I would encourage anyone who is looking at any sort of storage solution to try DataCore for 30 days; it's free and if you don't think it is a fit for you, you can move on. How many storage virtualisation vendors out there are willing to let you do that?”

For information on DataCore solutions or becoming a DataCore partner in Australia/New Zealand, please visit: www.datacore.com/australia or e-mail: ANZinfo@datacore.com.

Published Monday, October 08, 2007 5:57 AM by David Marshall
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