ILM for SMEs With FibreCAT From Fujitsu Siemens

With
its “ILM made simple” offer, Fujitsu Siemens Computers provides an easy
entry path into efficient and affordable information lifecycle
management (ILM) for small and medium-sized enterprises. FibreCAT SX
systems is a simple solution that enables customers to combine
different hard drive types (fast, reliable SAS and slower, cheaper
SATA) to protect their business data in line with service level
requirements and also to reduce costs. Under the terms of the offer,
businesses buying a FibreCAT SX60 or SX80 will receive a free 500
gigabyte SATA hard drive, and those buying a FibreCAT SX88 will receive
two 300 gigabyte SAS drives – a saving of 18.5 to 43 percent. The offer
begins on March 3 and continues until August 31.

Managing the business data explosion with ILM
Even
in small and medium-sized enterprises, data volumes are growing
constantly. To control this growth, Fujitsu Siemens Computers
recommends that SMEs deploy information lifecycle management solutions.
With ILM, information is classified according to its business
importance or time-sensitive nature, and is assigned an optimum storage
medium as appropriate. From an SME perspective, it is generally
sufficient to divide storage media into three classes. Class 1 media is
fast and offers the highest reliability and availability. Here, SAS
hard drives are often the best choice. Class 2 media offers high
storage capacities for a lower capital outlay. Here, SATA hard drives
are the perfect fit. In the third class, automatic tape storage
solutions are still the simplest and most-affordable media for
backing-up and archiving data.

FibreCAT systems to suit every data class
Because
each data class in ILM is stored in a format that exactly matches its
service level requirements for availability, performance, access speed
and service life, a well-designed ILM strategy can help businesses save
money. However, mainstream enterprise ILM products are not designed to
meet SMEs’ needs and are often too costly or oversized for the tasks at
hand. With its FibreCAT SX storage systems, Fujitsu Siemens Computers
offers an optimum solution for small and medium-sized enterprises.
FibreCAT SX systems allow SAS and SATA drives to operate together in
one system – even on the same shelf. This flexibility means a business
utilizes drives that are in line with its specific requirements and can
reassign applications to other storage mediums easily and inexpensively
when the need arises. The “ILM made simple” offer gives customers three
configurations to choose from. If they opt for a FibreCAT SX60, they
will receive a third 500GB SATA drive in addition to the two 500GB SATA
drives fitted as standard. If they purchase a FibreCAT SX80, they will
receive a 500GB SATA drive in addition to the two 300GB SAS drives
already fitted to the basic version. And FibreCAT SX88 buyers will get
two 300GB SAS drives in addition to the six SAS drives already shipping
as standard.

FibreCAT
TX
tape
storage systems are the perfect addition to FibreCAT SX online storage
solutions. Based on the industry-standard LTO format, these tape
systems are the ideal medium for data backups and long-term data
archiving. FibreCATTX
models are designed specifically with the needs of small and
medium-sized enterprises in mind, while also being exceptionally power
efficient and supporting simple, automated operation.

“FibreCAT-supported
ILM enables businesses to fine-tune their entire storage environment to
optimize speed, access times, capacity, availability, cost and data
management,” says Helmut Beck, Vice President Storage, Fujitsu Siemens
Computers. “With its ‘ILM made simple’ offer, Fujitsu Siemens Computers
offers all these benefits to small and midsize enterprises, providing
an ideal range of solutions for deploying structured information
lifecycle management, inexpensively and without major effort.”

FibreCAT SX models

FibreCAT
SX60, FibreCAT SX80 and FibreCAT SX88 online storage systems offer the
very latest in storage technology, and include redundant components,
fast 4Gbps Fibre Channel connections, and snapshot capabilities as
standard. RAID controllers, fans and power supplies can all be replaced
on the fly during live operation. The systems also come equipped with
FibreCap and FibreCache, two technologies pioneered by Fujitsu Siemens
Computers to ensure higher availability and faster access to data. In
the event of a power outage, FibreCAT systems write their cache
contents to a built-in Compact Flash (CF) card. The power for this
backup operation comes from a FibreCap capacitor, which, unlike the
batteries commonly used in storage systems, recharges instantly. This
ensures that the system is protected against power failures and can
resume full operation once power has been restored. FibreCache keeps
RAID controllers’ caches synchronized over a direct, high-speed
connection, allowing controller performance to be utilized more
effectively.

FibreCAT
TX
models
The
FibreCAT TX08, TX24 and TX48, all of which use LTO technology, are
designed specifically to meet the needs of small and medium-sized
enterprises. They automatically switch tape cartridges, eliminating the
error-prone process of changing tapes manually and reducing the amount
of time required to complete backup operations. The systems are also
easy to manage, featuring a web-based graphical user interface that
supports remote operation, easing administration, system configuration
and troubleshooting.
 

Fujitsu
Siemens Computers