Hitachi Freedom Storage 7700E, with no single point of failure, provides continuous access to data demanded by e-commerce applications
5 December 1999 — Long recognized as a supplier of "bulletproof" storage systems for the world's most demanding data centers, Hitachi Data Systems today announced it will offer a financially backed guarantee for the 100-percent availability of data in its flagship storage product, the multi-platform Hitachi Freedom Storage™ 7700E.
Under the terms of the guarantee, if a component malfunction should cause data stored in the 7700E to be lost at any time during the first twelve months following installation, the customer will be given monetary credit toward future service or purchases.
"Hitachi Data Systems has good reason to be proud of its reputation for high reliability," said David Hill, Research Director, Storage and Storage Management at the Aberdeen Group. "With today's announcement, they are the first to back up their claims of 100-percent data availability with a cash guarantee. Customers interested in continuous availability should consider the 7700E."
Unique in the industry, the 7700E has no single point of failure. All its components — including disk drives, power supplies, cooling fans, cache memory, data channels, and others — are backed up with redundant parts that are replaceable on-line, making it possible to maintain data access even in the event of component failure.
"The Freedom Storage 7700E was designed from the start to deliver the 24 x 7 availability required by companies offering products and services via the Internet," said Richard Search, Hitachi Data Systems Vice President of Storage Product Management and Marketing. "Now we're demonstrating that this claim is more than mere words. If customers can't access their data 100-percent of the time, we'll feel the financial impact. We think it's a good bet."
Not content to depend on redundant design and highly reliable parts alone, Hitachi Data Systems also uses a "phone-home" strategy to detect any components that show signs of impending malfunction. Called "Hi-Track," this pro-active approach to maintenance automatically places a daily call from each machine to a central computer for a check of its vital signs. If unhealthy symptoms are discovered, service personnel are dispatched and a potentially damaging outage can be averted before access to data is lost.
The terms of the guarantee require that the customer have Hi-Track installed and operating. Also, Hitachi Data Systems and the customer may agree to schedule downtime for the installation of new or improved technology, in which case the guarantee will not apply. Other terms and conditions may apply.
Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers professional services globally, multi-platform storage subsystems, and the industry's broadest line of high-performance servers. The company's extensive range of products and services, coupled with its business alliances with key industry leaders, enable it to transform IT into business agility for high-end and middle-market customers. Hitachi Data Systems is owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and has its headquarters in Santa Clara, California.
Contacts: PR: Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. Hitachi Freedom Storage is a trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation.
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