Bridgehead Launches Advanced Browser-Based, Multi-Platform Storage Management Software
HT FileStore lowers data management costs, reports and deletes irrelevant data, and automates the continuous migration of data for effective ILM
WOBURN, MA -- Oct. 18, 2005 -- Storage management specialists BridgeHead Software today announced the U.S. launch of HT FileStore, a policy-based storage management software system for multi-platform computing environments. Headquartered in England, BridgeHead is building upon recent successes in the United States to increase its presence in the U.S. market. BridgeHead’s HT FileStore, first announced in Europe in April 2005, is a policy-based storage management module that monitors and cleans up files on primary storage, archiving those files that need to be retained to secondary storage.
HT FileStore helps organizations gain control over data growth and enables the use of virtually any secondary storage technology or topology as a low-cost complement to primary tier-one storage. IT managers have typically found that as much as 80 percent of their data is not accessed frequently enough to justify being positioned on expensive media. HT FileStore allows them to move data from primary storage at an early stage, either by deleting it or moving it to accessible archiving for the long term. Without a means of control like HT FileStore, IT managers have had little choice but to adopt a "backup everything" policy instead of a parallel "delete irrelevant data" and "archive appropriate data" strategy.
With HT FileStore, an organization can determine its own storage-management policies and automate compliance with regulations by defining which files should be retained, for how long, what access control is allowed, and the most appropriate media type for their storage. Its rules engine automatically identifies data and copies it into the data repository. The repositories can be simple or sophisticated, consisting of multiple data copies on multiple storage media types (including disk, tape, and optical) in multiple locations if desired. Having secured data in its repository, HT FileStore can subsequently run rules to progressively re-position data across a multi-media topology throughout its lifecycle. HT FileStore is used either as a standalone storage management module or in combination with other applications, as required.
Steve Duplessie, founder and senior analyst, Enterprise Storage Group commented: “Having a central point of control for policy creation and administration in a distributed environment has obvious appeal. Being able to use that control for compliance and corporate governance is a goldmine.”
HT FileStore offers Web access to corporate archives from any platform, expanding the product’s reporting functionality beyond the limited capabilities of Windows Explorer and eliminating the need for any client install.
Tony Cotterill, CEO of BridgeHead Software, said: “Up to 80 per cent of an organization’s data has not been accessed in the previous 90 days, and at least 60 per cent of it will never be required in the future, even for compliance purposes. Manually wading through volumes of data to find what can be removed is too time consuming and costly. HT FileStore has the ability to simplify, streamline, and easily facilitate this process moving data that is required into a central store/knowledge base and deleting what is not required at all.”
An open and powerful approach to archiving, HT FileStore performs continuous, automated migration of data to appropriate storage media, facilitating effective data lifecycle management and dramatically reducing the huge resources currently consumed by manual data migrations. The system:
scans and report across entire, distributed file systems
can be set to delete unwanted files according to predefined policy
can be set to totally remove files from primary storage to secondary storage (“active archive”) keeping a full index online for transparent user access
can be set to remove files and leave behind a placeholder file (stub) for totally transparent application and user access (“transparent archive”)
can manage file retention periods, protect data from unauthorized access and provide a complete audit trail of all file access and file movement (“compliant archive”)
can be driven manually but more usually is set to be fully automated
Using the active archive approach, HT FileStore physically and totally removes files from primary storage, leaving no residual file stubs or directory entries. Instead, those files are moved to secondary storage, where they are fully indexed and secured for future use, removing the ongoing need to backup and manage the online files.
The transparent archive approach gives all the features of active archive with the added benefit of totally transparent access for users and applications such that the data files still appear to be online even though the content has been archived.
With the compliant archive approach, HT FileStore ensures that data files are managed in accordance with their importance and their worth, based on the individual requirements of an organization. Only files that are needed are retained, and those files are kept only for as long as necessary.
HT FileStore Pricing and Availability
BridgeHead Software’s HT FileStore is immediately available from and integrated by members of BridgeHead’s reseller program.
HT FileStore software starts at $15 per GByte, drops to $9 per GByte at 1 TByte and is down to $5 per GByte at 10 TBytes. Price is not based on the capacity of the target device but a single copy of the data under management.
For more information please go to http://www.BridgeHeadSoftware.com or call 781 939 0780 or e-mail Sales.US@BridgeHeadSoftware.com .
About BridgeHead Software’s Integrated Storage Management Suite
BridgeHead Software’s Integrated Storage Management suite provides backup, archive, migration, replication, storage media management and disaster recovery for e-mail, files, images and unstructured data.
BridgeHead’s integrated and complete approach to information lifecycle management makes it an achievable reality. Policies, automation, and virtualization of secondary storage are all part of BridgeHead’s fully interoperable Integrated Storage Management suite.
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