Novell Storage Manager 2.5

Novell announced a new version of its storage solution. Novell Storage Manager 2.5 automates a comprehensive set of storage management tasks based on events, identities and policies that reside in the directory.

Many compliance regulations specify storage requirements for data retention, integrity and security. They require that companies store data for long periods of time, ensure data has not been changed or lost and protect sensitive data from unauthorized access. In order to demonstrate compliance, an unprecedented need for storage capacity, access management and automation has emerged. Manually managing this process is no longer effective as IT administrators look for solutions to facilitate more efficient use of storage, simplify use and management of data and storage, and automate functions.

Novell Storage Manager enables companies to deploy and automate the complete life cycle of user and group storage through identity-based policies. It ensures user storage is automatically provisioned when a new user joins a company, that users have role-based access to individual and group storage, and storage policies are being enforced, and that storage is being archived or deleted when a user leaves the company. In short, Novell Storage Manager replaces manual management of storage with automated processes based on policies and identity.

"Integrating with Active Directory (AD) and eDirectory (ED), NSM manages storage with the user in mind," said Noemi Greyzdorf, research manager for IDC. "Once an account has been created, identity-based storage policies can be applied to the users and are executed automatically." These capabilities help companies enforce retention, integrity and security policies in accordance with company governance.

Notable enhancements
to Novell Storage Manager 2.5 include:

Auxiliary Storage: No limit to the number of home directories created for each user
Collaborative Storage Enhancements: User storage management capabilities have been extended to groups
Expanded Novell Linux Support: Event Monitors and Agents now run on Linux servers
Action Objects: APIs that allow storage actions to be transacted through Novell Identity Manager
New Interface: Completely redesigned and easier to use
Enhanced Cataloging: Tracks archived files as they are moved among storage devices for easy retrieval and restoration after a disaster