Hitachi Data Systems Extends Its Virtual Reach

The often-stated and worthwhile goal of storage virtualization is to reduce complexity. However, when examining how storage virtualization could be of potential benefit, it is worthwhile to ask some fundamental questions, such as: what is the source of the complexity, and exactly what needs to be simplified?

While storage networking has freed data from the confines of the server domain and made data "mobile" from the standpoint of the user application environment, it has also introduced multiple layers of complexity—from top to bottom of the I/O chain. Storage administrators are challenged not just to more efficiently manage the growing network of storage systems, switches, and server interconnects, but they must offer an essential set of data services to the application environment and application users—and do so in a way that minimizes corporate risk. Complexity now rises from the inner workings in a machine room up to the human boundary line between IT administrators and departmental application users.

Last year, Hitachi Data Systems introduced its TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform. The company's stated goal was (and still is) to reduce storage management complexity from the storage device level on up the I/O "stack" to the application layer. However, the Universal Storage Platform's relatively large footprint and comparatively high cost positioned it as virtualized storage solution for large IT organizations.

Now Hitachi Data Systems introduces Network Storage Controller model NSC55—a Universal Storage Platform-like, rack-mounted controller version of Universal Storage Platform with a significantly reduced footprint and entry price. As a result, the TagmaStore virtualization engine is within the financial reach of small to midsize enterprises (SMEs). However, compared to large enterprises, IT staffing levels in SMEs are commensurately smaller as well.