MaXXan unveils MXV320 switch: for business continuity, storage consolidation and NAS/SAN convergence - Top Technology Showcase

Computer Technology Review, Sept, 2003

MaXXan Systems, Inc., has announced the general availability of its MXV320 intelligent application switch. MaXXan's approach is to integrate applications into scalable storage networks, so users don't need to build storage solutions from a multitude of vendors. This approach is intended to reduce the total cost of ownership.

The MXV320 is based on MaXXan's SANe (Storage Applications Network Engine) architecture that defines a platform form for the delivery and management of storage applications from the SAN fabric itself. Consisting of intelligent switch ports, a programmable switching fabric, and integrated server blades, the architecture is intended to deliver a flexible environment for deploying fabric-based storage applications.

According to a statement issued by MaXXan earlier this month, today's first-generation SAN switches provide only plumbing and require a complex collection of servers, appliances, switches and gateways in order to deliver the required storage applications. This complexity makes the storage environment more expensive to deploy and more difficult to manage, resulting in a lower ROI for customers. The MaXXan MXV320 dramatically simplifies storage networks by integrating a highly scalable director-class switch with mission-critical storage applications.

"Moving intelligence to the network solves real problems for IT, both monetary and operational. Suppliers of traditional Fibre Channel switches are attempting to address the issues of SAN complexity and centralized application deployment and management with bolt-on solutions," said Vic Mahadevan, president and CEO of MaXXan.

"MaXXan is the first company to completely re-architect the SAN infrastructure from a storage application and storage management perspective. This translates into a solution that gives IT managers the tools to simplify and centralize the management of business-critical applications, making them more productive and improving their bottom line."

MaXXan is partnering with vendors such as FalconStor. Software applications include remote and local replication, snapshots, synchronous and asynchronous mirroring, NAS, virtualization, backup, capacity-on-demand, as well as MaXXan's SANCruiser centralized network management software.

www.maxxan.com