STORServer Joins Forces with IBM to Help Ease SMB Storage Woes
New all-in-one backup, archive, and disaster-recovery appliances approved as “Built on IBM Express” offerings
Colorado Springs, CO -- April 3, 2006 -- STORServer®, manufacturer of the all-in-one suite of Business Continuity Appliances, announces a new line of STORServer EZ Backup Appliances®. These cost-effective, easy-to-use backup solutions, which are preloaded with IBM storage software and hardware, are designed to help small to medium size businesses (SMBs) manage their data.
“SMBs are a fast-growing and often-underserved market, especially in terms of backup and disaster recovery,” said Ellen Rome, STORServer vice president of sales and marketing. “Our new EZ Backup Appliance bundles IBM’s leading hardware and software technology to provide an affordable, reliable solution that is easy to implement and maintain while providing a sophisticated feature set appropriate to SMBs’ growing needs.”
The new line of EZ Backup Appliances, available in both entry-level and high-end scalable models, are effective storage solutions for SMBs that typically have smaller budgets and fewer employees armed with the necessary skills to deal with complex IT management issues. Pre-configured with hardware and software necessary for backup, archiving, and disaster recovery, the appliance contains IBM’s latest in data-protection technologies, including disk and tape storage such as the new IBM TotalStorage TS3310 Tape Library.
The STORServer EZ Backup Appliance leverages IBM Tivoli Storage Manager, enterprise-level backup and recovery software, and is offered in three pre-configured bundles: Disk-to-Disk, which offers backup and archives with optional tape or disk for disaster recovery; Disk-to-Tape, with backup, archives, an online tape pool and disaster recovery to tape; and Disk-to-Disk-to-Tape, which offers backup, archives, an online pool of IBM TotalStorage DS4100 disk arrays, and disaster recovery to tape.
Fully automated, policy-based configurations are available for customers storing all amounts of data, from less than one terabyte to up to 10 terabytes for a single appliance. Multiple appliances can be installed and managed from one interface for customers that have more data or that need to distribute their recovery storage management. Each appliance comes with a 3-year warranty that provides a single point of contact for technical support.
Backup and disaster recovery is a top concern for SMBs and large organizations alike, according to Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG) analyst Heidi Biggar. She credits STORServer with creating a solution for SMBs that is both affordable and simple to manage.
"The problem is SMBs generally lack the necessary resources -- people, dollars, and technology -- to attack the backup and recovery problem at its root,” Biggar said. “Historically, SMBs have either tried to 'fix' the problem with enterprise backup solutions (which tend to be too unwieldy and expensive for their needs) or have ignored the problem altogether. What SMBs want -- and need -- are easy-to-use, scalable, and integrated solutions. The STORServer Appliance fits this bill nicely and takes the guesswork out of data protection."
Also announced today, STORServer’s EZ “Entry” Backup Appliance provides a low-cost, reliable, disk-to-disk backup solution for up to two terabytes of data. The EZ “Entry” Backup Appliance integrates IBM’s new Tivoli Storage Manager Express, automated backup and recovery software designed specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. All backups are stored on the server disk and an optional disk array is available for expanded storage capacity. Customers can also add tape backup for disaster recovery. Two scalable entry appliances are available -- one for customers with less than one terabyte of data and the other designed to accommodate up to two terabytes of storage.
The entire line of EZ Backup Appliances back up all popular servers and workstations and can also be purchased with IBM Tivoli Continuous Data Protection for Files – software that is designed to continuously and instantaneously capture and save changes to files in real time and send copies of data to a backup location to add a second layer of defense against data loss.
With the integration of IBM Express Portfolio software and hardware, the new STORServer EZ Backup Appliances have received “Built on IBM Express” validation. Built on IBM Express is an initiative designed to incorporate IBM Express products with IBM Business Partner products in order to provide integrated solutions that help enable SMBs to manage their IT environments with the same capabilities as larger companies.
The STORServer EZ Backup Appliances are available through IBM resellers only. Pricing for the entry-level appliance starts at $5,000 and the higher-end model begins at $15,000. For more information, visit http://www.storserver.com.