ESG Lab Validation Report: Universal Storage Platform V
ESG Lab tests on the USP V focused on verifying thin provisioning of internal and external storage, creating large logical pools of capacity and the system’s improved performance, which Hitachi delivers within the context of its Services Oriented Storage Solutions architecture. The authors conclude that thin provisioning can essentially eliminate the need for storage provisioning and customers can create large logical volumes without any cost, allowing the application to keep growing and growing as needed. ESG analysts have spoken to customers who have implemented thin provisioning and they report that they spend literally no time provisioning storage except when creating new volumes. (March 2008)
Hitachi Broadens and Deepens Content Services
The trifecta of announcements that Hitachi made at CeBit, do cross-reference each other, but do not do justice to the power of the overall vision that brings them together. …These have been combined with a determination by Hitachi executives to move beyond its current position as a provider of seemingly bulletproof, but not always very exciting, disk hardware platforms. (March 2008)
Hitachi Data Migration Services
By using the HDS storage virtualization technology to perform data migrations, the process is fast and completely transparent—even in heterogeneous storage system environments. Additionally, data migrations can happen online while users and applications are accessing data on these platforms. (January 2008)
HDS Makes Storage Simple
HDS is going after the SMB, ROBO and departmental storage market and the timing is great. ESG believes that
virtual machines will help to drive storage networking growth in all three areas. Additionally, iSCSI is extremely successful and is now a mainstream storage interconnect. There are hundreds of thousands of storage networks out there but the potential is for millions. That is the opportunity that HDS sees on the horizon.
(October 2007)
Hitachi USP VM: An Important Step toward Virtualizing the Data Center
We are witnessing a new Hitachi that is aggressively driving its storage virtualization leadership through consistent innovation. The USP VM is the first storage system that enables IT to extend its high-end features to external heterogeneous storage systems—such as thin provisioning. This is extremely powerful and is an important step to further virtualize the data center. (September 2007)
The Hitachi USP V - "V" is for Victory
HDS announced the Universal Storage Platform in September, 2004. The compelling news about the USP at the time was that it changed the rules of the Enterprise-class storage system game by delivering a storage system that raised the level of play above the head-to-head competition. The HDS USP was and still is the only leading Enterprise-class storage system that also provides external storage virtualization of heterogeneous storage systems. (May-2007)
Hitachi USP V Enterprise-Class Services Oriented Storage Solutions (ESG Lab Validation Report)
ESG Lab has performed multiple hands-on testing of the Hitachi Universal Storage Platform (USP), starting in August, 2004 just prior to when it was first released. At that time, we focused on its performance, scalability and various features, and paid especial attention to its external storage virtualization capability. At the time, the notion of an Enterprise-class storage system that supported external storage virtualization was unique, a notion which persists to this day, and yet the value of such a system is obvious and compelling. (May-2007)
Service Oriented Storage Solutions
"What is the concept of Service Oriented Storage Solutions and why is it important? Service Oriented Storage Solutions is the idea of leveraging one’s storage infrastructure to provide a service to the business. How this manifests itself will depend on the IT department and its implementation of Service Oriented Storage Solutions. However, it is important that the actual Service Oriented Storage Solutions platform provides the necessary tools and technology to implement true Service Oriented Storage Solutions" (26-March-2007)
RoHS Compliance for a Global Economy
"RoHS represents a departure from how laws are normally drafted. Rather than dealing with the symptoms of the problem, it attempts to deal with the source, and for good reason. No one wants to drink water and eat food knowing that remnants of their laptop or monitor are in its make-up or that individuals in other countries are being harmed by our waste computer products. RoHS is expanding beyond Europe with California and China requiring RoHS compliance by January and March 2007 respectively." (02-Jan-2007)
HDS and BlueArc - A Partnership That is "High"
"HDS is partnering with BlueArc, an emerging vendor with best-in-class next generation NAS solutions targeted for the billion dollar plus high performance computing (HPC) market and large data centers." (02-Jan-2007)
Intelligent Tiered Storage: Focus on HDS
"Implementing different tiers of storage is very common. Implementing an Intelligent Tiered Storage environment, however, is still more the exception and not the rule. Storage virtualization provides a foundation with intelligence to leverage the different storage tiers." (02-Jan-2007)
Hitachi and Microsoft: A Big Alliance for the SME
"Hitachi is setting its sights on the mid-market and has smartly partnered with Microsoft by participating in the Simple SAN initiative." (01-Aug-2006)
ProtecTIER Data Protection Platform Lab Validation Report
"Two of the main reasons customers implement VTL solutions are ease of use and transparency. ESG Lab found that ProtecTIER fit into an existing Veritas NetBackup environment seamlessly in less than 15 minutes. Customers prefer a VTL solution
like ProtecTIER over a home-grown backup to disk solution because it is a purpose-built appliance that is optimized for backup and recovery from disk. Once configured, there is nothing to manage. In other words, with VTL, you can set it and forget it." (01-Jul-2006)
HiCommand Release 5.0 Unified Storage Management Lab Validation Report
"Five years ago, ESG knew Hitachi Data Systems as a company with a line of reliably scalable storage systems. Today, ESG knows HDS as a provider of application-optimized solutions built with trusted storage systems as a foundation. Hitachi's evolution from a hardware company to a solutions provider has been fueled by software. HiCommand Release 5 has been re-architected from the ground up using open APIs and industry standards. With a new architectural foundation based on common components and a dramatic ally improved user interface, HiCommand reduces the cost and complexity of storage management." (01-Jul-2006)
Content Archive Platform
"It is ESG’s view that the Hitachi Content Archive Platform is one of the best digital archiving storage systems on the market in terms of its ease of management, scalability and reliability. Additionally, we are impressed with its fast and intelligent search and indexing, which supports file name, file attributes, metadata and content level search capability." (09-Jun-2006)
The Hitachi USP: A New Release, Milestone, and Market Validation
"As each day goes by, Hitachi gains greater insight, knowledge, experience, and customer footprint, and is becoming a leader in storage virtualization while leveraging its flagship USP storage system solutions. It is a brilliant strategy and visionary in scope." (22-May-2006)
Data Migrations – Focus on Hitachi
"Hitachi provides high-performance data migration technology, combining its best-in-class storage systems, including its Universal Storage Platform and Network Storage Controller with the Hitachi HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager. The combination of these products provides a solution that solves the major challenges of data migrations for upgrades, capacity load balancing, and the day-to-day management of data mobility in an intelligent tiered storage environment."
(01-May-2006)
Enterprise-class Storage Virtualization:The Hitachi Network Storage Controller "Disk-Less” Version (by ESG)
"The Hitachi Network Storage Controller Disk-Less version is an Enterprise-class storage virtualization platform that provides the highest levels of reliability, performance, and functionality at a price point that is extremely
cost-effective. More importantly, the disk-less NSC represents a new and better way to implement storage networks." (24-Apr-2006)
Hitachi HiCommand Global Link Availability Manager (by ESG)
"Hitachi Global Link Availability Manager greatly simplifies the management of large multi-path environments, providing visibility, centralized reporting, and the tools needed to actually solve problems." (03-Apr-2006)
Intelligence Apart: Disaggregated Storage Controllers versus Integrated Storage Systems
"Storage vendors should not be in the business of selling capacity....Disaggregating the intelligent storage controllers from disk enclosures seems obvious and practical, and yet it changes the business of storage dramatically. It is a bold step to take and yet, over time it will be requisite. The question is: will you be a follower or a leader in this new inevitable landscape?"
(13-Feb-2006)
Hitachi Storage Systems and the Value of High Density Disk Drives
"Hitachi’s current family of storage systems uses innovative technologies that enable users to realize optimum benefit from high-density drives. The Adaptable Modular Storage line provides static multi-tiering with virtual cache segmentation and RAID-6 to widen the usability range for high-density, high-availability disks. The Universal Storage Platform and Network Storage Controller take it further with dynamic management of a multi-tiered storage environment, virtualization of externally attached disk arrays, and logical partitioning. In summary, Hitachi provides customers with a wide range of technologies that complement high-capacity Fibre Channel disks and allow them to maximize their storage spend." (06-Dec-2005)
Hitachi HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager Lab Report
"While Hitachi Data Systems is known for its leadership in the storage systems arena, what is often overlooked is the comprehensive suite of storage software in its arsenal. Hitachi Data Systems has a wide range of HiCommand software that provides a great deal of value in better managing, supporting, and optimizing applications deployed in storage area networks. The majority of its suite of storage management solutions can work in heterogeneous storage environments, even in environments without Hitachi D ata Systems hardware. Two years ago, ESG would have said that Hitachi Data Systems provided a mediocre set of storage management solutions. Today; we emphatically say that the HiCommand storage management suite is best-in-class." (31-Oct-2005)
WMS and AMS - Focused on Midrange (by ESG)
"Small, medium and large customers should find the Hitachi WMS and AMS storage systems attractive offerings as standalone storage systems. Additionally, Hitachi can position the WMS and AMS as part of an intelligent tiered storage network in conjunction with the Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform and the newly announced Hitachi TagmaStore Network Storage Controller model NSC55."
(11-Jul-2005)
Hitachi NSC: Changing the Midrange Game (by ESG)
"Hitachi enables customers to get greater value and economic benefit combining the functions of a storage system and storage virtualization platform versus having discrete solutions. The NSC55 is an enterprise-class solution that provides the same compelling value as the Universal Storage Platform models but for medium-size customer."
(11-Jul-2005)
The Storage Virtualization Landscape
"ESG believes that Hitachi is the leading Enterprise-class storage virtualization solution in the market today. This is based on the rapid success of the Hitachi USP at the high end in a relatively short period of time. Hundreds of large companies are
implementing the Hitachi USP and the momentum continues to build. ESG considers the Hitachi USP a true Enterprise-class solution due to its scalability, performance, wide range of software features, and support of Windows, Unix and z/OS platforms." (11-Jul-2005)
Hitachi Data Systems- Advancing Storage and Data Lifecycle Management
"If anyone had any doubt about Hitachi’s commitment to provide storage management software solutions that address the top challenges faced by storage administrators and IT managers, this set of announcements should eliminate any concerns. Hitachi is committed to enabling Application Optimized Storage with a full set of storage hardware and software solutions. By focusing on what it knows best, and partnering to add value to the overall portfolio, Hitachi is on a path to becoming a formidable player in th e storage management market." (11-Apr-2005)
Hitachi HiCommand Storage Area Management Suite Lab Report
"ESG Lab was impressed by the Hitachi HiCommand SAM Suite. In particular ESG Lab found the HiCommand Storage Services Manager module extremely easy to implement, easy to use and visually intuitive; in addition, it offered a wide variety of useful tools for reporting, troubleshooting and managing heterogeneous storage environments."
(11-Mar-2005)
Hitachi Thunder 9520V (by ESG)
"Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) has announced a new addition to the Thunder 9500 V Series modular storage systems, the Thunder 9520V workgroup modular storage, a low-cost, high capacity solution that supports S-ATA drives. The Thunder 9520V is an excellent solution for the small and medium-size market, remote offices, and as a complement to the Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform. The Thunder 9520V enhances the HDS storage product line giving customers a cost competitive and feature-rich solution f rom a leading storage vendor." (08-Dec-2004)
The Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform
"Hitachi Data Systems has delivered on a vision for a new approach for simplifying storage management, improving overall storage efficiency, and implementing data lifecycle management. The Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform is a combination of the next-generation Enterprise-class storage system and a high-end storage virtualization platform, resulting in a new breed of intelligent networked storage." (07-Sep-2004)
ESG Lab Report: Hitachi TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform
"The USP is an extremely scalable, high performance, feature-rich storage virtualization platform that today allows customers to implement an intelligent storage network with different Hitachi storage systems, including Thunder and Lightning products. ESG Lab tested the USP’s virtualization capabilities, which we found easy to use. ESG Lab used HiCommand Device Manager to manage the USP and the Thunder systems connected to it from a single pane of glass. The management
was so transparent that system administrators wouldn’t know that they were managing separate storage systems." (07-Sep-2004)
Storage Virtualization – A New Compelling Vision and Approach
"Only a handful of storage technology vendors have the experience, engineering depth and breadth, and service and support to compete in the enterprise storage market, let alone to continually innovate, and Hitachi Data Systems is certainly a leading contender in this area." (01-Jul-2004)
HDS–June 2004: Hitachi Modular Storage Update
"The recent addition of the Thunder 9585V ultra high-end modular storage system provides industry leading performance, connectivity and capacity." (15-Jun-2004)
ESG Lab Report: Hitachi Lightning 9980V Enterprise Storage Consolidation Analysis
"Storage consolidation is an excellent strategy to lower costs, reduce management complexity, and improve application service levels. The Lightning 9980V has a proven track record as a storage consolidation platform due to its capacity, high-performance architecture, and robust storage and data management software, Host Storage Domains, and reliability/availability. ESG Lab was extremely impressed with the Host Storage Domains, Virtual Storage Ports, and Priority Access, which contribute to greater stora ge consolidation capabilities above and beyond the competition. For these reasons and strong customer feedback, ESG Lab recommends the Lightning 9980V to anyone considering a storage consolidation project." (15-Mar-2004)
