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Computer peripherals industry

StorageTek Launches Initiative to Enhance Virtual Disk Technology and Assure Architectural Consistency for 6,000 Sites

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

StorageTek, a leading provider of network storage, has launched an initiative to help 6,000 IBM and StorageTek customers gain maximum value from their ongoing investments in StorageTek-based virtual disk arrays. The campaign, which includes the expansion of product capabilities and assumption of IBM warranties and service agreements, aims to provide functional and performance enhancements to these customers.

This initiative comes as a response to the growing demand for efficient use of disk space and management of storage resources. Virtual storage, a key component of StorageTek's "Open, Intelligent and Integrated" storage architecture, enables storage managers to focus on increasing business benefits instead of managing detailed data placement. By separating physical and logical storage, virtual storage facilitates efficient use of disk space, handles storage management issues, and enables companies to quickly build and maintain redundant data stores for easy application testing, instant online backups, and fast disaster recovery.

The "Step Up" campaign offers customers a range of benefits, including capacity and performance boosts, support for integrated software products that fully leverage virtual disk architecture, and a forthcoming connection to open systems servers. One of the notable enhancements is the Shared Virtual Array systems, which support StorageTek's market-leading SnapShot data duplication software. According to an independent study by Evaluator Group, Inc., SnapShot users gain four or more hours per day on average, adding hours of availability to revenue-generating applications.

Key Takeaways:

  • The initiative aims to enhance the virtual disk technology for 6,000 IBM and StorageTek customers, ensuring architectural consistency for these sites.
  • The campaign includes the expansion of product capabilities and assumption of IBM warranties and service agreements for existing customers.
  • StorageTek's virtual disk systems are supported by a variety of third-party and StorageTek software products, including data movement, backup, restore, and data duplication.
  • The net result of the initiative is the industry's broadest range of "Open, Intelligent and Integrated" storage solutions that lower the cost of ownership and improve resource utilization.
  • StorageTek's solutions help customers collect, move, store, share, and protect all types of digital content on platforms ranging from laptops to enterprise servers.
  • The initiative is part of StorageTek's strategy to provide "Open, Intelligent and Integrated" solutions that combine storage products, storage management software, and storage services.
  • StorageTek has reported revenue of $2.3 billion in 1998.
  • The company's headquarters is located in Louisville, Colo.

Statistics:

  • The initiative covers 6,000 sites of StorageTek-based virtual disk arrays.
  • The "Step Up" campaign offers expansion of product capabilities and assumption of IBM warranties and service agreements to these customers.
  • StorageTek's virtual disk systems support simultaneous use with mainframe and Unix server platforms late in the third quarter of 1999.
  • The campaign covers all models of IBM's RAMAC Virtual Array (sold through an OEM relationship between IBM and StorageTek) and StorageTek Shared Virtual Array disk systems.
  • According to an independent study by Evaluator Group, Inc., SnapShot users gain four or more hours per day on average, adding hours of availability to revenue-generating applications.

Sources:

  • "StorageTek Launches Initiative to Enhance Virtual Disk Technology and Assure Architectural Consistency for 6,000 Sites," Business Wire, July 26, 1999.
  • "StorageTek," Company website, www.storagetek.com.
  • "Evaluator Group, Inc.," Company website, [www.evaluator.com](http://www.evaluator.com).

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