A while back, I blogged about some very interesting results from a survey of our customers that TechValidate conducted on HDS’s behalf. I focused on our enterprise platform in my posting but today I’d like to spend some time discussing some very interesting results from a similar type of exercise, focused on our Hitachi Data Protection Suite (HDPS). The product stems from our OEM relationship with our partner CommVault. I used to market backup products for Legato and VERITAS in the past (now EMC and Symantec), so I have a soft spot for this category of solutions.
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A recent article in CIO by Kevin Fogarty got my attention. In his article, “Virtualization ROI Rises, But Cloud Confusion Steals Spotlight,” Mr. Fogarty offers a number of very interesting perspectives but also asks some great questions about the concentration of (server) virtualization on more powerful server cores, and its growing widespread adoption as a data center technology of choice…while poking fun at the “cloud.”
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Last year, 2009, was a great year for midrange storage at Hitachi. In a down economy we grew our midrange revenues and we now have hundreds of petabytes of Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 systems installed by our customers.
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Last week I was very privileged to visit the Hitachi Central Research Laboratory in Kokobunji, in Tokyo. A few of us met with the lead team of the laboratory and visited the site. The facility is in an amazing location, a green oasis in harmony with the core value of environmentally-conscious R&D for the future. We were introduced to different areas of research including a great lab that focuses on IT heat management/power optimization amongst other things.
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I have shared some data from TechValidate in the past that pointed at many storage characteristics and benefits that our systems make possible. Two of the main benefits are reliability and availability – both signatures of HDS.
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A few weeks ago I visited several Hitachi facilities including one of our sustainable Data Centers in the Yokohama area. Since it is used as a facility to host customer data I can’t reveal too much, but below are a few take aways that should interest a lot of you who are helping or leading data center designs:
- Physical location and natural risks mitigation
Location, location…and technology. The best location to mitigate tectonic issues, lots of technology to deflect the earth’s movements and absorb shocks. A lot of research went into this.
- Sustainable design
From light bulbs to advanced roof top grass insulation, a lot of Hitachi technologies are used in conjunction with sustainability best practices to limit emissions, optimize cooling etc.
- Control
As you can imagine, the control room is an amazing view (I guess like the tower at JFK, without the kids giving you take off clearance). Lots of software IP is used to optimize everything from air flow to power availability 24/7.
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As many of you already know, Hitachi Data Systems partners with technology leaders like Brocade to deliver complete solutions to our customers… and Business Continuity/Business Resilience is a natural fit for both companies. The core infrastructure is truly the heart of the datacenter supporting everything users have come to rely on to get their job done and meet their business objectives – whatever they may be. Things are taking a new twist with virtualization these days.
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Back from what seems a long absence from blogging, I thought I’d take some time to share a few interesting facts about our customers, how they use their USP-V and USP-VM systems, and how they truly leverage the unique capabilities of these platforms.
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There’s been a lot of discussion around the automation of storage tiers recently, and I wanted to take a few minutes to focus on what HDS has been doing for many years in this space. Hu Yoshida alluded to this in his recent blog entry. I too spent some time on the topic recently.
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When EMC announced V-Max in the spring of 2009, it included statements of intent to deliver fully automated storage tiering, otherwise known as FAST. Many years ago, when EMC was innovating in the storage business, the company rarely if ever pre-announced future products. Today, it’s common for EMC to sell a future vision because its current products lack innovation and are not keeping pace with the competition. V-Max is a perfect example of selling a future that isn’t ready for production, and without FAST, V-Max lacks any real innovation and gives customers little reason to consider it.
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