As I wrote previously, many small and medium businesses (SMBs) can gain some real benefits from server virtualization with the Iomega StorCenter™ ix4-200d a prime example of a storage appliance that can be used with server virtualization in these environments. But, what I didn’t mention was which Ethernet TCP/IP network storage protocol should be used – iSCSI or NFS.
Most small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have limited IT budgets so when it comes to storing data and reducing costs and complexity they must do so wisely. Further, most have few or no IT personnel so they also need technology solutions that they can deploy and scale easily without requiring inordinate amounts of time to manage. Server virtualization is now increasingly viewed as a good fit for SMBs and with the new emphasis that VMware put on reaching out to SMBs at last week’s VMworld, it is more important than ever for SMBs to quantify what benefits they can expect to glean from server virtualization before deploying it.
It was only back in February that Iomega with great fanfare released its StorCenter Pro ix4-100 targeted at the SMB market. Now, only 6 months later, Iomega announces an updated version of the ix4-100 appropriately named the StorCenterâ„¢ ix4-200d. The ix4-200d doubles the storage capacity and triples the processing power of the ix4-100d but it is the addition of replication to its EMC LifeLine software that really makes the ix4-200d stand out from its competitors.
From time to time I help small, non-profit organizations in my area with some of their IT needs since, like most small businesses, the majority of them do not have dedicated IT staff. Recently a situation arose when I had to help one of them with a file server problem. After I fixed it, the question arose as to how I might do things differently and, more specifically, “How could they know when it is time to upgrade their current file server to a modern less labor intensive network attached storage (NAS) solution?”
I recently had the opportunity to talk with CMO Len Rosenthal of Panasas and learn more about what Panasas has been up to. For those of you not familiar with Panasas, it makes a highly scalable, clustered Linux storage product aimed mainly at the technical (scientific research and engineering) and emerging commercial departmental computing environments. This is achieved through its object-based, PanFS™ parallel file system. As of last month, it also announced new products such as the ActiveStor 200, 4000 and 6000 Parallel Storage Clusters.
Who is Omneon, Inc., and why should you care? Do not worry if you have not heard of them as I said the same thing to myself when the name was first mentioned to me because if you are not from the video and digital broadcasting industry, it’s unlikely you have heard of them. So, I was interested to hear what its Senior Vice President of Products and Markets, Geoff Stedman, had to say about its product and why Omneon is making a push outside of its traditional storage niche.
Have you ever been out hiking, minding your own business, when all of a sudden you see something moving in your peripheral vision? Because you’re not sure what you saw you stand real still so whatever it was doesn’t bite you. Well, that was my first impression after I finished listening to a briefing about Wasabi Systems’ VMX 2000 Series Storage Appliance given by Frank G. Logan, III, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wasabi Systems, Inc.
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