EqualLogic Powers Europe's Largest IP SAN; Customer SDC Udvikling Uses Flexible IP SAN Infrastructure to Service More Than 85 Banks Offering Customers Zero Downtime

Business Wire, March 9, 2005

NASHUA, N.H. -- EqualLogic(R), Inc., a leading provider of iSCSI-based self-managing networked storage solutions, today announced it is providing the core infrastructure for Europe's largest IP SAN for SDC Udvikling A/S. SDC Udvikling A/S provides the IT infrastructure for more than 85 banks, servicing hundreds of thousands of customers.

SDC Udvikling A/S, based in Denmark, is an application service provider that develops and operates IT systems for next-generation financial services, from Internet banking to mobile banking. According to technology watchers on both sides of the Atlantic, the SDC Udvikling A/S infrastructure is the largest iSCSI SAN in Europe and one of the largest in the world.

To meet the demands of its expanding customer base, SDC needed a large, highly available SAN that could support all of its operations, from file servers and accounting applications to Web servers and home banking applications. Following an extensive review of available alternatives, SDC worked with EqualLogic distributor Consolidate IT to implement an enterprise-ready iSCSI-based SAN solution consisting of eight PS Series storage arrays providing 32 terabytes of storage capacity for 120 Dell servers, 100 of which are configured with Adaptec iSCSI 7211C host bus adapters (HBAs).

According to SDC IT Consultant Bo Christiansen, the list of design priorities was long: enterprise reliability, high performance, seamless scalability, flexibility and security - all at a low cost of installation and ongoing maintenance. "We chose the EqualLogic PS Series iSCSI SAN because it's very easy and cost-effective to set up and maintain. We already have the IP switches and knowledge of the technology," said Christiansen. "We had to be able to get new servers up and running on the SAN in 10 minutes or less. We have a very small window to fix a problem. If the SAN is down, we would spend a lot of time taking calls from unhappy customers. The EqualLogic SAN is now the central resource of the data center, and our customers are seeing zero downtime."

One of the important features of the SAN is its support of iSCSI boot capability, enabled by the Adaptec HBAs and EqualLogic's flexible architecture. This feature allows SAN servers to be remotely - and rapidly - configured with the desired operating system and application image. Mission-critical data no longer resides on the servers, eliminating application downtime when a server needs to be re-deployed or replaced.

The IP SAN solution, deployed during Q3 2004, met and exceeded all of SDC's objectives, pointing to the combination of the EqualLogic PS Series arrays and Adaptec HBAs as a critical link in addressing specific requirements. Soon, SDC's data center will provide nearly 70 terabytes of storage for more than 200 servers.

"SDC's SAN infrastructure is a further testament to the enterprise capabilities of iSCSI and EqualLogic's PS Series family," said John Joseph, vice president of marketing at EqualLogic. "European businesses are ready for an enterprise SAN solution that provides the reliability, advanced features and data protection of Fibre Channel SANs without the complexity, expensive maintenance agreements and costly upgrades. EqualLogic is the ideal partner for companies looking for this type of flexible, cost-effective IP SAN architecture."

EqualLogic will be exhibiting at the CeBIT trade show from March 10-16, 2005, in Hannover, Germany. EqualLogic can be found in Hall 1 in the SAN/NAS Exchange Pavilion, Stand 7g2, Booth C2.

About EqualLogic

EqualLogic(R), Inc., is the leading provider of intelligent, all-inclusive iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions that enable businesses - from Fortune 100 to small and mid-size organizations - to realize the economic benefits of consolidated, self-managing storage. The EqualLogic PS Series of storage arrays, based on the company's patented peer storage architecture, is the industry's first automatic storage platform that delivers operational simplicity, functional integration and high data availability in a single, scalable pool of storage. EqualLogic's headquarters are located in Nashua, New Hampshire. For more information, please visit http://www.equallogic.com.

EqualLogic is a registered trademark of EqualLogic, Inc. Other marks belong to their respective owners.