Global provider of enterprise storage systems, Compellent, has recently publicized the launch of their latest Storage Center. This is another breakthrough that is expected to build on Fluid Data architecture to vigorously scale storage resources and offer incessant data access at the same time, laying the fundamentals for a grid of Compellent arrays operating as one.

The company is known to target mid-sized enterprises, and sells Storage Center plans via its all-channel network of self-regulating solution providers and sellers. The new Storage 5.4 has state-of-the-art storage hardware, tight integration with leading server virtualization technologies and flexible software that allows IT to routinely shift storage resources on-demand and non-disruptively, to steer clear of downtime and uphold real-time availability.

LIVE VOLUME:

It was noted in the report that “Live Volume allows enterprises to architect a grid of shared storage that can be managed and optimized as one, providing storage agility and high availability while eliminating the islands of storage typical with rapidly growing IT infrastructures. Live Volume acts as a storage hypervisor, actively presenting storage to two Compellent arrays at the same time, allowing organizations to shift volumes between systems to provide continuous data availability. This solves multiple data mobility issues facing IT today, including moving storage for application changes, maintenance, planned outages, load balancing and disaster avoidance.”

NEXTGEN SCALABLE STORAGE:

If your business is looking for next generation solutions that can address the challenge in scalability of storage, here are the features that might be of interest to you with Compellent’s new Storage Center 5.4:

(1) Series 40 controller with Intel Xeon quad-core processors has six slots to provide increased scalability and is the cornerstone for future enterprise enhancements

(2) 6Gb/s 2.5-inch SAS drives are two-thirds smaller and twice the speed of 3Gb/s 3.5-inch SAS drives and use 30 to 40 percent less power. Up to 24 2.5-inch drives fit in one 2U enclosure, with each drive providing four 6Gb/s lanes, representing a significant performance increase in a smaller physical footprint

(3) Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCOE) and 10Gb iSCSI support, including the Cisco converged network architecture and Nexus multi-protocol network switches, provides front-end connectivity choice and agility as storage needs change over time.

Compellent has had a rather productive year, with high percentage increases reported for the 3rd quarter.  Partnerships continu to be important for Compellent’s cloud solutions, and one of its most recent is Fusion Systems.  Its Fluid Data architecture is of huge importance for Compellent’s core business, as Noemi Greyzdorf, research manager for storage software, IDC notes:

“Our research shows that in 2011, businesses will continue to seek ways to employ virtualization solutions to efficiently meet business demands. Flexible infrastructures, like those built on the Compellent Fluid Data architecture and Live Volume, will be valuable in the coming year as an enabling technology to help reduce complexity, improve operational efficiency, and deliver a scalable, persistent storage resource.”