EMC is to upgrade several of its software products,
including the integration of automated data migration technology
with its storage management suite and the release of a data
replication tool that supports disc arrays from rival
suppliers.
The company also said it has integrated the server
virtualisation software acquired through its buy-out of VMware
earlier this year with its Symmetrix Remote Data Facility
replication tool.
That will enable users to asynchronously replicate data from a
large number of servers at a primary datacentre to a few systems or
even just one at a remote site by creating multiple instances of a
server operating system on the target boxes.
Chief among EMC's upgraded products is a new version of the
replication software for its Symmetrix high-end disc arrays called
EMC Open Replicator.
The tool will allow data to be copied to storage devices from
IBM, Hitachi Data Systems and Hewlett-Packard - EMC's main hardware
competitors. The company said Open Replicator is due for release in
next year's first quarter.
"That's great stuff," said Bill North, an analyst at IDC. "It's
not unique. But if you're an EMC customer and . . . have merged
with another company or have regional offices with different
storage, you can now have greater flexibility."
EMC is integrating its ControlCenter storage management platform
with a set of application-aware tools that the company inherited
when it acquired Legato Systems last year.
Chuck Hollis, vice-president of storage platforms marketing at
EMC, said the integrated offering will include Legato Software's
EmailXtender for Exchange 2003 and Lotus Notes products, as well as
the EMC DatabaseXtender for Oracle, PeopleSoft and Sybase.
Shipments are due this quarter.
EmailXtender identifies infrequently used e-mail messages, and
DatabaseXtender searches databases for old or inactive records.
Both products can move the older data off high-cost primary storage
devices to secondary disc systems or tape drives.
Lucas Mearian writes for
Computerworld