EMC unveils new storage and virtualization technologies that extend benefits of ILM

These new solutions simplify and extend the benefits of information lifecycle management (ILM) to more applications and more information using cost-effective and ubiquitous IP (internet protocol) networks.

"It is becoming increasingly relevant for companies to look for technology able to leverage cost-effective IP networks, which help their customers make their information infrastructure more cost effective, simpler and smarter and extend the reach of their ILM strategy," commented Mohammed Amin, General Manager, EMC Middle East.

"As the number of SMEs and SMBs increase in the region it is critical for us to ensure there is a product in the channel that they can easily find and implement, that offers a simple yet strong solution to storing their valuable information."

Included in today's announcement was also the unveiling of a complete program of products and supporting channel program designed to support the needs of SMBs in their quest to store, manage, protect and share their vital business information. EMC Insignia products are designed specifically to address SMB's critical information management and storage issues at affordable prices, supported by the Velocity channel program to deliver software and hardware products that work together effectively to deliver solutions for SMBs. The EMC Velocity SMB program will be especially relevant in the Middle East, where channel sales are the primary route to market.

The EMC Insignia range includes EMC Retrospect 7.5, a significant new version of the Award winning EMC Retrospect for Windows backup and recovery software, formerly from Dantz Development Corp. With the acquisition of Dantz in 2004, EMC combined the extensive SMB market knowledge with EMC's vast expertise in information management and storage to create the simple but powerful EMC Insignia product line.

EMC today introduced:

• Entry-level and high-end configurations of its flagship EMC® Symmetrix® DMX-3 storage array, including those featuring new low-cost, Fibre Channel (LC-FC) 500 GB (gigabyte) disk drives, which enable a single high-end storage array, for the first time ever, to scale beyond a petabyte (1,024 terabytes) of capacity. This new feature enables more information from more applications to be stored on a single array and enables multiple tiers of storage to be managed on the Symmetrix DMX-3 platform.

• EMC Multi-Path File System for iSCSI (MPFSi) file system software, which is a first in the industry. This software delivers substantial performance and cost improvements for customers in data intensive environments that process large files over IP networks, including grid computing, rich media, software development and others.

• Major enhancements to the EMC Rainfinity™ Global File Virtualization platform, including Global Namespace Management, which provides a unified view of all files and file systems located on heterogeneous file servers on an IP network. The Rainfinity platform now also includes Synchronous IP Replication, which provides improved protection capabilities.

• Enhancements to EMC Centera™ content addressed storage (CAS) system, including Event-based Retention and Litigation Hold software features that give customers more security, flexibility and control over their archived information for regulatory and legal purposes.

"In the Middle East there has been rapid growth in the development of IT infrastructures linked to the exponential rise in business and trade in the region" continued Amin. "Managing this growth brings its own challenges, and when companies factor in changing requirements globally such as governance or compliance, they are often faced with increased costs and information management challenges. These difficulties can be seen across companies of all sizes who are experiencing rapid information growth, and this new range of products from EMC Symmetrix or Rainfinity to the new EMC Insignia range will bring EMC expertise to these customers at appropriate price points."