January 12, 2009
By

Herman Mehling

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Distributor Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD) is partnering with DataCore Software, a provider of storage virtualization software, to offer VARs solutions that enable businesses to better manage, provision and allocate disk space on storage devices attached to a storage area network (SAN).

The partnership is proof that storage virtualization is establishing itself as a strong revenue opportunity for VARs and as a smart investment for companies eager to maximize their money and data center resources in a depressed economy.

“Storage virtualization is the next wave of virtualization, and it’s just starting to take off,” said Pete Peterson, senior vice president and general manager of Tech Data’s advanced infrastructure solutions (AIS) division.

“This year could see a lot of interest in storage virtualization as companies seek compelling ways to improve their storage management capabilities while saving money on hardware,” he said, noting that growth in most hardware markets is projected to be flat for 12 months.

Peterson said many companies will leverage software such as DataCore’s to optimize their existing storage infrastructure and will turn to VARs for consulting and installation assistance.

DataCore’s software is designed to improve the use of storage devices attached to a SAN by creating a virtual pool of storage capacity that can be allocated and provisioned in real time as user demand warrants. This facilitates more efficient, centralized management of storage.

"DataCore virtualization software is an excellent opportunity for VARs to demonstrate strong value to their customers by fundamentally changing how they manage their storage, reducing costs and complexity, while enhancing business critical applications such as disaster recovery,” said Christian Hagen, DataCore’s vice president of sales for the Americas in a prepared statement.

Hagen added that Tech Data’s AIS has one of the channel's strongest virtualization practices, and its nationwide VAR customers are well-positioned to deliver storage virtualization solutions to SMBs and larger enterprises.

The DataCore deal underscores Tech Data’s commitment to providing VARs with  server, storage and virtualization technologies through its AIS division.

Last month, Tech Data partnered with Vizioncore adding this server virtualization management specialist to its existing stable of virtualization vendors such as Parallels, VMWare and Virtual Iron.

Under the DataCore agreement, Tech Data will distribute DataCore’s SANmelody and SANsymphony.

SANmelody converts virtual and physical servers into fully capable storage servers and high-availability iSCSI and FC SAN platforms.

SANsymphony is an open storage networking platform designed to enable companies to maximize the value of SANs through storage virtualization and advanced management tools.

 

TAGS: virtualization, VMWare, Storage, server, Tech Data

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