IBM Breaks the Barriers of Storage Virtualization

IBM (www.ibm.com) today announced the availability of its next release of storage virtualization software designed with expanded support to virtualize and manage the complete line of currently available EMC disk storage systems.

This latest storage breakthrough helps enable EMC clients to simplify and automate the management of their storage environments through a centralized view.

IBM's Virtualization Engine Suite for Storage, part of the TotalStorage Open Software family of products, is designed to help clients simplify their infrastructures by aggregating computing resources from multiple vendor systems to increase the utilization and availability of system resources.

"IBM's Virtualization Engine Suite for Storage truly disrupts the storage industry by freeing technology and purchasing managers to leverage a multi-vendor disk hardware strategy without suffering many of the traditional management costs associated with heterogeneous storage," said Jens Tiedemann, General Manager, IBM TotalStorage Open Software.

IBM's fifth release of the IBM TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller boasts powerful new features and increased device support. Based on open, industry standards, IBM's SAN Volume Controller is the first virtualization product to pass SNIA's Conformance Testing Program (SNIA-CTP) for the Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S).

Additionally, IBM Business Partners and IBM TotalStorage Solution Centers continue to help clients exploit the value of IBM's breakthrough storage virtualization products through centers operated by Champion Solutions Group, MSI Systems Integrators, and Sirius Computer Solutions.

"IBM's SAN Volume Controller has helped us simplify our heterogeneous storage management and allowed us to easily move data between the Hitachi and IBM storage systems," said Mike O'Neil, Vice President, Enterprise Systems, First National Bank Omaha.

IBM Business Partners like Sirius Computer Solutions are helping educate clients on storage virtualization benefits through testing capabilities at IBM TotalStorage Solutions Centers.

"We are seeing great customer demand for IBM's SAN Volume Controller, especially with SAP customers who are seeking to create non-production environments on less expensive disk," said Chris Lusk, Manager of Open Systems and Storage, Sirius Computer Solutions.

IBM's latest release of the TotalStorage SAN Volume Controller is available today through IBM and IBM Business Partners. IBM's list price of the SAN Volume Controller begins at $60,000.