Case study: enhance technology'[TM]s RAID solution selected by Medical Research Foundation.

Founded in 1944, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) is dedicated to conducting basic research to benefit society by expanding the knowledge of the basic biological processes fundamental to life. As a leading independent medical research institute, it has over 300 scientific staff members, including some of the world'[TM]s foremost immunologists committed to pinpointing the cause of human illnesses and preventing the spread of deadly diseases.

OMRF recently undertook the development of a computerized information system for the identification of biomarkers in lupus (SLE) disease. To support the storage and archiving of large amounts of data on their servers quickly, especially images generated from their in-house MRI scanner, OMRF looked at RAID controller storage unit, to increase their current and future storage capacity.

Since OMRF is a non-profit organization operating on a limited budget, they needed a dependable and reliable storage device at a reasonable price point. They wanted a 2U rackmount storage device with RAID capability from an established company well-known in the area of storage solutions with good customer and technical support service. After an exhaustive search they selected Enhance Technology.

After looking at different products offered by Enhance Technology, OMRF chose Enhance Technology'[TM]s R6 because it was an all-in-one unit. The R6 had an array of six disks and an empty 5.25" bay that could be used for installing a removable disk unit for off-site backup. The R6 also had a next generation 64-bit scale storage processor that was capable of sustaining data rates up to 265MB/sec with an Ultra320 SCSI host interface as a standard connection. Additional selling points included a user interface that gave complete storage control over a standard Web browser and a front panel with multi-function display with controls and audible alarms.

The EnhanceRAID R6 provided a cost-effective solution with the durability and speed that OMRF needed. 'This is just incredible that we can do everything in just one unit,' said Kenaz H. Thomas M.S., M.B.A., the principal investigator for Clinical Pharmacology Research Program at OMRF. 'Overall, so far we are very satisfied with the R6 and in our opinion we got the best bang for the buck! One of the major factors for our decision making was customer service and after-sales technical support. Enhance Technology not only has great storage products but excellent customer service. The sales team was friendly and was easy to reach via email/telephone.'

System and Application Setup

Host Systems: Dell PowerEdge 2950 Server Video/Audio Capture Devices: C-Scan MRI machine made by e-saote, SPA, Italy Additional Hardware: Tandberg QuickStor RDX internal backup unit (installed on the R6)