Hitachi Data Systems reinforced its TrueNorth open collaborative storage business model Tuesday, showcasing several new end-to-end storage offerings.
The company’s TrueNorth strategy is based on three points: intelligent storage systems, an open management framework and a collaborative “best-of-breed” business model, said HDS spokesperson Toby Reid.
HDS unveiled its Hitachi Freedom Storage Thunder 9500 V Series storage systems specifically designed for small-to-medium scale consolidation. The centrally managed distributed storage solution features large storage capacity in a small footprint, said Pierre Raymond, HDS director and evangelist.
Similar to the earlier announced Lightning 9900 V Series, 9500 V Series features a compact form factor which enables terabytes of storage capacity and a virtualization assist layer which allows administrators to mix heterogeneous servers on a single port and provide security to the Logical Unit (LUN) level through host storage domains, Raymond said.
Virtualization further lowers total cost of ownership and boosts return on investment by simplifying the infrastructure through smaller SAN configurations, fewer switches, Fibre Channel cables and host bus adapters, HDS said.
The 9500 series also offer upgradeable models, including the “enterprise-class” Thunder 9570V rackmountable modular storage system, which features high performance and high capacity in a small footprint with up to 4GB cache, four 2Gbpsec ports and 224 drives (32TB per system). Further advanced Thunder Series systems will be announced next year, HDS said.
HDS also announced its channel initiative, the TrueNorth Solutions Alliance global partnering program.
The program unites all Hitachi Data Systems partners under one umbrella, enabling HDS’ partners to deliver best-in-class storage solutions via training, support and incentives. Strong channel and technology partnerships allows HDS to expand its customer base and penetrate new markets, said HDS National Director Avi Posesorsky.
Posesorsky added the program is targeted at global systems integrators and vertical integrators in markets such as healthcare, life sciences, rich media, financial services, and telecommunications.
In addition, HDS launched HiCommand Tuning Manager software, an end-to-end storage resource management software tool that fully integrates with HiCommand Management Framework – the company’s flagship storage management software suite designed for policy-based, set-and-forget storage management.
Available next month, the Web-based solution allows storage managers to map, monitor and analyze utilization of their storage infrastructure from the database to the device from a single screen, HDS said.
With Canadian headquarters in Toronto, HDS is online at www.hds.com.
