Compellent Integrates iSCSI and Fibre Channel Connectivity Into A Single Hardware and Software ArchitectureAugust 29, 2005
Simultaneous mixing and matching of any server interface in a single system provides unlimited growth while eliminating technology risk
Minneapolis, August 29, 2005 — Compellent Technologies, a provider of modular, affordable storage solutions distributed exclusively through a select national network of business partners, today announced it has fully integrated iSCSI connectivity to Storage Center, its modular, scaleable storage area network (SAN). Compellent’s hardware and software architecture enables the simultaneous mixing and matching of any server interface and/or drive technology.
Compellent’s Storage Center connects to Fibre Channel and/or iSCSI server interfaces on the front end and Fibre Channel and/or SATA disk on the back end, providing businesses the flexibility to mix and match technologies to optimize performance and cost all within one system accessing a single pool of storage. “We believe customers and channel partners deserve choices,” said Dennis Johnson, sales and marketing executive vice president for Compellent. “Fully integrating iSCSI connectivity is just another example of how Compellent is making storage area networking more affordable and accessible to small and midsize businesses.”
The Storage Center SAN with iSCSI and Fibre Channel connectivity is available immediately through Compellent’s international network of business partners.
What Compellent Customers Are Saying
“The ability to mix and match iSCSI and Fibre Channel server access in a single SAN drives down networking costs and ensures we are not locked into any single technology,” said Rob Kinney, network administrator for The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business.
“Anyone planning on growing their company shouldn’t be looking at iSCSI-only point solutions,” said Don Himsl, IT manager, CNS. “Compellent allows me to scale my system in multiple ways without forfeiting my initial investment.” "Deploying our Compellent SAN with iSCSI and Fibre Channel was a breeze,” said Matthew Franco, information systems manager for Akebono Corporation. “Storage Center gives us the flexibility to expand with the right storage technology to fit our needs."
What Compellent Channel Partners Are Saying
"Companies should think twice before implementing an iSCSI-only SAN because they usually don't meet the organization's long-term storage needs," said John Malyevac, storage architect for FedTek. "With the addition of iSCSI to its Fibre Channel SAN, Compellent provides everything a customer needs in one integrated package. This is how our customers want to buy technology."
"Compellent's architecture is unique in that it enables us to provide our customers the ability to mix and match connectivity options," said Paul Clifford, president, The Davenport Group. "The customer appreciates that we can offer choices based on their needs rather than locking them into a single technology from the start."
“Why would I limit my customers by offering an iSCSI-only solution when I can offer them both Fibre Channel and iSCSI?” said Mike Dickmeyer, director of storage technology at NovaStar Solutions. “iSCSI alone does not provide the flexibility to build a sustainable storage solution for most SMB and midsize companies.”
Compellent’s approach of offering simultaneous iSCSI and Fibre Channel connectivity within a single system provides businesses with another method to scale from entry-level to enterprise capabilities without surrendering their initial investment.
iSCSI connectivity enables administrators to use Ethernet networks to transport and access storage. Less expensive storage connectivity is critical to midsize businesses that need to continually add new devices while dealing with limited budget and staff. iSCSI is an ideal interconnect because it utilizes an organization’s existing IP infrastructure and does not require specialized skills or training.
For a complete review of Storage Center 3.2 with iSCSI connectivity please visit http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1841048,00.asp.
About Storage Center
Storage Center builds on its Dynamic Block Architecture to deliver a scalable, open-systems hardware platform that is designed to allow businesses to mix and match disk drives, controllers and enclosures; an integrated foundation of core storage capabilities providing functionality previously available only in high-end systems; a suite of software applications that can optimize utilization, automating replication and speeding data recovery; and a single, intuitive, centralized management interface streamlining storage administration.
About Compellent
Compellent delivers affordable, modular storage solutions exclusively through business partners that provide companies of all sizes enterprise storage capabilities without big system costs or complexities. For more information, visit www.compellent.com.