Storage: StorageTek Announces Industry's First Turnkey Storage Area Network Application Suites - Company Business and Marketing

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, April 19, 1999

Leading the delivery of interoperable Storage Area Networks (SANs) to the marketplace, StorageTek (Storage Technology Corp. Monday introduced SANaps -- turnkey SAN application suites that solve customers' pressing storage management requirements and incorporate certified hardware, software, professional services and support.

StorageTek's LANfree Backup, the first suite available, addresses efficient data backup. Future SANaps will focus on dynamic capacity expansion and high-speed extended distance solutions. "The storage industry is moving toward rapid and reliable deployment of SAN solutions," said Sean Derrington, senior research analyst, Open Computing & Server Strategies, META Group. "There are many business benefits to be gained with SAN solutions, but first, IT organizations want confidence that the numerous components are proven and tested before reaching their production environment." Acting as a storage utility that pools storage resources on a separate network, SANs greatly improve Local Area Network (LAN) performance. Some companies, however, have been reluctant to implement SAN technology due to a lack of in-house management resources and uncertainty as to whether SANs will operate seamlessly within an overall network infrastructure. StorageTek's SANaps have been tested, proven and packaged with professional services to address these customer concerns. "We have been looking closely at many SAN technologies to complement our REEL software," said O.E. Monk Tarbell, U S WEST Communications Manager, Data Center Operations. "StorageTek's packaged SAN applications minimize risk for the customer by providing a fully functioning solution and professional services to ensure smooth implementation." LANfree Backup is First SANaps Suite StorageTek's LANfree Backup suite solves grueling backup challenges by pooling tape resources on a SAN, eliminating the impact on clients while dramatically reducing the backup times. By moving storage applications off the LAN, business application performance is improved and drives can be allocated across multiple servers for optimal utilization of tape assets. The initial release of SANaps LANfree Backup configuration includes: StorageTek's StorageNet Access Hub, StorageTek's REELbackup and REELrobot software from SCH Technologies, StorageNet Fibre Channel Adapter, StorageTek's StorageNet 3100 SCSI-to-Fibre Channel bridge, StorageTek's 9710, 9714 or 9730 automated tape library, as well as professional services and support. StorageTek intends to certify software from Legato Systems Inc., Computer Associates International, Inc. and VERITAS Software, Corp. in future releases of the LANfree Backup suite. LANfree Backup initially is supported on Sun Solaris version 2.6. "No one has taken the initiative that StorageTek and SCH Technologies have in delivering an end-to-end SAN solution," said Vincent D'Antonio, Electronic Payment Services, Inc. senior technical analyst. "The LANfree Backup offering is truly exciting. We have come to rely on the StorageTek and SCH REEL software in our complex environment. Product advancements like this one give us confidence that we have implemented the right storage solutions." SANaps Certification and Implementation Process StorageTek's SANaps are tested and certified at StorageTek's Virtual Intelligent Storage Architecture (VISTA) interoperability lab, announced in March 1999. The VISTA interoperability lab represents a multi-million-dollar investment by StorageTek to resolve SAN compatibility issues and speed the delivery of open, interoperable and application-oriented SANs. StorageTek will stamp SANaps suites "StorageNet Certified," indicating that the VISTA interoperability lab has fully tested and certified the application. SANaps are bundled with professional services to coordinate the implementation with customers' backup policies, install the hardware and software, ensure smooth operation, and train the customer personnel. StorageTek also backs its SANaps with its worldwide support infrastructure. "Feedback from our early adopter customers has helped us fuel technology development and expedite the delivery of interoperable SAN solutions," said Joan Wrabetz, StorageTek vice president and general manager, SAN Operations. "We have worked with over a dozen partners to achieve SAN interoperability for our customers. As a result, StorageTek has emerged as the first vendor to develop a certified suite of packaged SAN applications that meet specific business needs." StorageTek also announced Monday in a separate press release that Brocade Communications, Computer Associates International, Crossroads Systems, Hewlett-Packard Company OpenView Business Unit, Legato Systems, JNI, SCH Technologies, and VERITAS will pledge support and resources to make their products interoperate seamlessly with StorageTek's SANaps. StorageTek will accept LANfree Backup orders within 60 days. US list pricing varies depending on the size and selected components of the solution. Pricing for the entry-level LANfree Backup configuration begins at US$150,000. StorageTek's LANfree Backup suite will be initially available through StorageTek's direct sales force. StorageTek is planning to implement a Channel certification program to qualify value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators to design, implement and service SANaps. About StorageTek's VISTA Framework Built around StorageTek's Virtual Intelligent Storage Architecture (VISTA) framework, StorageTek's newly announced SANaps application suites aim to deliver "Open, Intelligent and Integrated" storage solutions to customers. SANaps exemplify how VISTA can be used to create a complete storage solution using industry standard components and interfaces. VISTA promotes an information-centric approach, enabling information to be shared with any server, any operating system, any application and any storage device. The net result for customers is lower cost of ownership and improved utilization of storage resources. StorageTek is the preeminent provider of network storage. The company's strategy is to provide "Open, Intelligent and Integrated" solutions that combine storage products, storage management software and storage services. StorageTek solutions help customers collect, move, store, share and protect all types of digital content on platforms ranging from laptops to enterprise servers. The company, with headquarters in Louisville, Colo., reported revenue of $2.3 billion in 1998. Information on StorageTek is available on the World Wide Web at www.storagetek.com or phone 1-800/786-7835.