Integrated File Services Platform Delivers Common Search, Retention, Movement and Protection of Unstructured Data
Leader in Block Storage Virtualization Extends Proven Capabilities to File Storage Systems—Giving Customers Simplified Data Management on Integrated Platform
CeBIT 2008 —HANNOVER, GERMANY, March 4, 2008 — As organizations struggle with the search and retrieval of unmanaged data stored in siloed infrastructures, Hitachi Data Systems today introduced all new file and content services that dramatically simplify data management. The newly unveiled Hitachi Data Discovery Suite delivers powerful content index and search services across network attached storage (NAS) and content archive environments—an industry first that breaks through the traditional barriers of stovepipe storage infrastructures and mitigates the risk of unmanaged or rogue data. With today’s announcement, Hitachi delivers common search, retention, movement and protection of data—extending its proven capabilities in block storage data management to file services with in an integrated services oriented platform.
Today’s organizations are faced with severe business challenges as a result of the rapid growth of unstructured data stored across multiple storage infrastructures and data centers. According to an April 2006 IDC report , the cost of ineffective search is estimated at $5,251 per worker per year. For 1,000 workers, the cost is estimated at $5.25 million. The risks associated with failed or prolonged searches for legal discovery or compliance can be even higher.
“Today, there is a large percentage of corporate data that is considered unmanaged or rogue posing serious security and compliance risks to businesses,” said Laura DuBois, research director, Storage Software, IDC. “As companies grapple with how to manage this information and put policies around it — from archiving, to storage, to search and retrieval — IT departments are looking for the best solutions to manage their expanding information vaults. With the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite, Hitachi Data Systems offers a viable solution to companies who are trying to eliminate risk and manage rogue data before it impacts the bottom line.”
“Organizations are spending millions per year in e-discovery and these costs are compounded by the escalating expenses associated with storage sprawl in environments with large amounts of file based or unstructured data,” said John Mansfield, senior vice president, Global Solutions, Strategy and Development, Hitachi Data Systems. “Previous generation file storage products were not designed to be efficient in terms of storage utilization and data management. We are taking our proven experience in storing and managing block storage environments and extending that strength to file services—reducing the risk of rogue data, while improving operating efficiencies.”
“Hitachi has clearly done its homework with Hitachi Data Discovery Suite,” said John Webster, Principal IT Advisor, Illuminata, Inc. “Storage administrators should find in the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite an environment in which to engage their internal records managers, auditors, and attorneys in an ongoing discussion on policy implementation and lifecycle management.”
Introducing the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite: Unlocking the Value of Data
Simplifying data management with an integrated services approach to storage, Hitachi is enabling both customers and independent software vendor (ISV) partners to search multiple data sources with just a single query from a single user interface with the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite. This powerful software empowers customers and ISV partners to perform such functions such as self-service file restoration, cross—platform search and retrieval, and reporting of file-based tiering. With the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite, complex tasks associated with e-discovery become simpler, more efficient and cost-effective—unlocking the true value of data.
“With the announcement of the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite, last year’s FAST Partner of the Year, Hitachi Data Systems, extends the value of FAST’s solutions, initially pioneered in the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, to the Hitachi High Performance NAS Platform,” said John M. Lervik, CEO of FAST. “Specifically, Hitachi Data Discovery Suite provides federated search across many file storage instances, simplified HSM functions, and assistance in understanding discovery risks with storing files across a continuum of platforms. It is one thing to do this in a tightly controlled environment; however, in a complicated world of controlling rogue data this task is daunting at best. Hitachi Data Discovery Suite allows both end users and ISVs to control the broad problem of unmanaged unstructured data. FAST is excited to see future innovations both within Hitachi and on top of the FAST ESP search platform that will benefit our respective ISV programs.”
“Today’s IT organizations are faced with tremendous challenges in managing the rapid and unceasing growth of file data stored in heterogeneous, distributed computing environments,” said Don Jaworski, vice president and general manager of the Brocade Files Division. “As customers seek comprehensive, end-to-end solutions to address their file management challenges, Brocade is excited about the opportunity to provide Brocade StorageX file virtualization software as an essential component of the new Hitachi Data Discovery Suite.”
Unlike competitors that force customers and partners to haggle with disparate and closed storage infrastructures, the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite performs federated search across the Hitachi High-performance NAS Platform and the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, and can extend these capabilities to ISV partners or custom applications. The Hitachi Data Discovery Suite will enable enterprise content management, e-mail archiving and other third-party applications to write directly to the Hitachi High-performance NAS Platform and migrate that data to the Hitachi Content Archive Platform for long-term data preservation—allowing secure, seamless data discovery and migration across tiers of storage.
The Hitachi Data Discovery Suite also brings data directly to users. By enabling customers to conduct their own searches and recover data from their own authorized files, the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite significantly improves user productivity while ensuring data privacy. The Hitachi Data Discovery Suite is integrated with Microsoft Active Directory and Windows Vista Gadget for easy and secure search and file restoration from a user’s desktop.
Hitachi’s Services Oriented Platform Simplifies the Entire Storage Infrastructure
With today’s announcements of the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite and expanded and enhanced Hitachi NAS and Content Archive services (see separate press releases also announced today), Hitachi is once again delivering customers more value on an integrated services oriented platform. Building on this platform, Hitachi also unveiled today Hitachi Data Discovery for Microsoft SharePoint. Working with the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, Hitachi Data Discovery for Microsoft SharePoint gives users a simple way to archive files to the Content Archive Platform. Additionally, the Hitachi Data Discovery Suite for Microsoft SharePoint provides administrative searching across all content stored within the Hitachi Content Archive Platform. The software can span across many SharePoint sites allowing fully authenticated and authorized ubiquitous access. With Hitachi Data Discovery for Microsoft SharePoint, users can also set up proactive RSS feeds that can detect rogue data or information relevant to a discovery request.
“We view rogue data as a critical problem the market and our customers are trying to solve,” said Michael Hay, senior director, Product Strategy, Hitachi Data Systems. “Even moderate amounts of uncontrolled rogue data can increase the potential of not finding the right data at the right time. Hitachi Data Discovery for Microsoft SharePoint is able to help our users reduce their electronic discovery risk by simplifying steps required to both control and find rogue content. This is accomplished by allowing users to search for content stored in the Hitachi Content Archive platform, and perform sampling via a Microsoft Vista desktop gadget.”
About Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation provides Services Oriented Storage Solutions that enable heterogeneous storage to be dynamically provisioned according to business needs and centrally managed via industry-leading Hitachi storage virtualization software. As an integral part of the Hitachi Storage Solutions Group, Hitachi Data Systems delivers storage infrastructure platforms, storage management software, and storage consulting services through direct and indirect channels in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include nearly 60-percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit the company’s Web site at http://www.hds.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 31, 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.
