EMC enhances Symmetrix 8000 systems.

Delivering on its promise made at this month's Symmetrix DMX launch, EMC Corporation has rolled out major enhancements to its popular and widely installed Symmetrix 8000 series of information storage systems. New native Gigabit Ethernet connectivity for remote replication and the addition of 146 gigabyte drives allow customers to enhance their existing investments in Symmetrix 8000 systems.

David Donatelli, EMC's Executive Vice President of Storage Platforms Operations, said, "As the world's most widely installed high-end storage platform, Symmetrix 8000 systems run a large portion of the world's most critical applications. These announcements represent EMC's commitment to continually enhancing customer value. Symm 8000 customers get the benefit of new technology while preserving their existing investment."

Through the new native Gigabit Ethernet connectivity, EMC has simplified and substantially reduced the overall cost of remote data replication. Customers who have chosen IP as their transport medium now have the option to connect Symmetrix 8000 systems directly into the IP infrastructure for remote replication, resulting in significant cost advantages when configuring and monitoring Symmetrix systems with Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF) software.

In addition, EMC announced availability of high-performance, high-capacity 146 gigabyte drives for new and installed Symmetrix 8000 series systems. Native Gigabit Ethernet and 146 gigabyte drives are available for all new and existing Symmetrix 8000 systems. Symmetrix 8000 systems were announced to market in April 2000.

As an integral component of EMC's Automated Networked Storage offering, Symmetrix 8000 series systems help customers make storage an active participant in the success of their business to lower costs, increase productivity, and speed overall responsiveness.

The Symmetrix 8000 series continues to offer customers 100% software compatibility with the entire new Symmetrix DMX series of information storage systems, offering customers the dual benefits of hardware innovation and complete software consistency with existing Symmetrix systems. This achievement enables customers to integrate smoothly and efficiently the most advanced storage technologies into their infrastructure without requiring additional and costly training or changes in operational procedures.

Native Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and 146 gigabyte drives are available immediately for Symmetrix 8000 systems. List prices vary based on configuration.