EqualLogic Deploys Thin Provisioning
EqualLogic Deploys Thin Provisioning
May 21, 2007: EqualLogic is cementing its presence in Australia with advanced features to be included in their SME solutions to ensure the scalability and utilisation of storage resources.
Key features include the use of thin provisioning, to be made available in Version 3.2 of the EqualLogic PS Series firmware. It’s a move which EqualLogic suggests will have small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) reducing their total storage costs while optimising their storage infrastructure. “It’s an important to make that distinction about total cost of ownership, and that really is our key driver,” says Ray Demeo, VP of sale for the APAC region.
Overall, they’re chasing the small to medium sized business market, an area EqualLogic believes is not effectively serviced by the larger storage vendors. Starting out in the United States in 2003, the vendor has built up it’s client base just as the storage needs are increasing across the globe. In January this year they launched into the Australian market and quickly picked up a range of medium sized businesses.
Although they’re pushing technology as sophisticated as what’s on offer for Enterprise customers, EqualLogic says they’re not out to target the high-end market in Australia. “It’s important to know that it’s not out goal to jump into those enterprise markets,” says Demeo.
However, EqualLogic also believe the current model of delivery by the larger storage vendors does not suit the needs of SMEs. “It’s about forecasting storage,” Chris Casey, General Manager for EqualLogic ANZ and ASEAN. “Next year, a business doesn’t know what’s going to happen. It could acquire another company, double staff, or perhaps data continuity will become an issues and they need a disaster recovery solution. I go to the CFOs and offer incremental storage plans.”
One of the tools for effective ‘incremental’ storage includes the use of thin provisioning and virtualisation as a storage resource management method for limiting physical storage to that of just immediate needs.
According to Stan Zaffos, research VP at Gartner, thin provisioning is a strategically important feature of storage management, yet one only covered by a limited pool of ‘forward-thinking vendors.’ “Thin provisioning’s profound benefits for IT organisations include improved staff productivity, higher end-user satisfaction rates, increased storage utilisation, more accurate capacity forecasts, and smaller environmental footprints – all of which mean reduced costs,” he says.
“It’s about cost-saving, because often storage is about money that doesn’t actually need to be spent,” says Casey. “We’re brining in ‘just in time’ solutions for storage.”
Other enhancements announced by EqualLogic include administrative features such as roles-based management and auto-replication improvements for data recovery testing.
EqualLogic refer to it as a a ‘buy-as-you-grow storage model, one which with the added benefits of thin provisioning, can eliminate the need to buy ‘desired’ storage capacities rather than ‘actual’ capacities used.