Hitachi launches full scale assault on midrange storage market.

Hitachi Data Systems, provider of Application Optimized Storage solutions, and wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd., has changed the industry landscape once again with the announcement of all-new products that introduce rich, high-end functionality to the broader midrange and SMB markets. Hitachi thus extends its industry thought and innovation leadership as it becomes the first company to offer advanced virtualization capabilities across its entire product line, eclipsing all competitive offerings in this space.

With the announcement, Hitachi is enabling companies of all sizes to truly realize the business benefits of Application Optimized Storage solutions, as now even the smallest companies can enjoy the benefits of virtualization by optimizing the performance of their most pressing business applications--such as Microsoft Exchange or Oracle Financials--utilizing the Logical Partitioning capabilities of Hitachi's integrated new fleet of midrange offerings.

Specifically, Hitachi Data Systems is making two broad announcements. The first, the TagmaStore Network Storage Controller model NSC55, delivers all of the revolutionary functionality of the TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform--including its massively parallel crossbar switch architecture for high availability and performance; large-scale controller-based virtualization layer for ease-of-management; logical partitioning for application quality-of-service; storage-agnostic universal replication for business continuance; and a rich set of software tools. The NSC55 easily surpasses the limitations of current midrange "disk storage only" products as well as functionally-limited switch or appliance-based "virtualization-only" offerings, by offering customers the best of both worlds with the industry's leading rich, high-end storage functionality--and enterprise-proven virtualization software--all united in a powerful, rackmounted, modular form factor at a midrange price.

"In an era when software has become the most desirable way to deliver customer value, then the announcement of the NSC55 has to be seen as a significant step forward," said John Webster, senior analyst and founder, Data Mobility Group. "The list of software options now available to small to medium enterprises is impressive and includes logical partitioning and heterogeneous replication across heterogeneous disk arrays."

The NSC55 is effectively a miniaturized version of the TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform, of which more than 1,000 units have been sold since its introduction in September 2004, including all manufactured variants. The product was also recently designated as a new category of storage by IDC, and is the recipient of multiple prestigious industry awards such as "Product of the Year" from Storage Magazine; "Most Valuable Product" from InfoStor/ASNP; and an "A-List" Award from Open Systems Advisors, which also identified the Universal Storage Platform as one of the "best new technology solutions proven to deliver business results."

"A challenge for top-tier midrange customers is to deliver world-class enterprise service with limited resources. Conventional midrange storage leaves much of this market under-served. However, Hitachi has addressed this issue with the cost-effective Network Storage Controller, delivering advanced high-end function in a user-friendly form factor," said Dave Vellante, CEO of ITCentrix, an independent software and services firm. "Our extensive analysis clearly shows the NSC provides impressive efficiencies. Relative to competitive best-of-breed midrange storage products, the NSC can reduce total cost of ownership by as much as 32-percent over a three-year period. This clearly changes the dynamics of how mid range data centers can be organized to meet business priorities versus IT necessities."

Secondly, Hitachi is introducing an entirely new line-up of highly versatile and highly scalable next generation midrange, channel-optimized modular storage systems--the TagmaStore Adaptable Modular Storage and Workgroup Modular Storage lines (models AMS500, AMS200, and WMS100). Successors to the popular Hitachi Thunder 9500 V Series, these new products feature sophisticated virtualization capabilities such as Logical Cache Partitioning, Host Storage Domains, and Virtual Ports, that no other midrange systems offer.

The AMS and WMS systems out-perform, out-scale and are significantly more reliable than comparative modular products, and will support up to 4Gb/s Fibre Channel port connectivity. At the same time, AMS systems offer high availability FC drives with a cost-effective SATA intermix option, while WMS systems are configured only with SATA drives for low-cost nearline storage applications, such as data archival for regulatory compliance.