Cisco, IBM in storage alliance
Cisco, IBM in storage alliance
Cisco Systems is set to release a switch based on IBM software that will help simplify the management and storage of large amounts of data.
IBM's TotalStorage SAN (storage area network) Volume Controller storage software has been tailored to be hosted on Cisco's MDS 9000 switch, allowing users to administer volume management, data replication, and point-in-time copies directly from the network, giving them a single point of control and management across multiple storage subsystems.
"SANs were first developed to help overcome the administrative complexities and costs associated with managing storage as individual resources directly attached to servers," said Soni Jiandani, Vice President of Marketing for the Storage Technology Group at Cisco. "Today, we're in the next phase as companies look to gain even more operational efficiencies and cost reductions by consolidating their small SAN "islands" into larger, more intelligent networks."
The system will allow IT administrators to consolidate, or "virtualise," multiple and disparate storage subsystems into logical pools. By provisioning storage from the SAN switches, users can avoid taking servers or storage subsystems offline as changes are required. This capability is intended to reduce the amount of planned downtime normally associated with storage infrastructure changes and help simplify administration tasks. The ability to manage heterogeneous storage environments also allows customers to use lower-cost storage address the requirements of their applications or business functions.
"By integrating IBM's intelligent storage virtualisation technology into Cisco's MDS 9000 switches, customers are now presented with more options to reduce the pain, complexity and administration of their storage networks," said Jens Tiedemann, Vice President Storage Software Marketing, IBM. "Today, customers have the choice and flexibility to maximise their storage investments through a SAN virtualisation layer using the IBM SAN Volume Controller technology delivered as an appliance, integrated storage solution, or via the SAN fabric using the Cisco MDS 9000 family."
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