EMC data-storage product upgrades make better use of energy
Despite the buzz over the public offering of its VMware software business, EMC Corp. of Hopkinton isn't forgetting its roots as a maker of data storage systems. The company will today unveil major upgrades to its key storage products.
The top-of-the-line Symmetrix DMX series will get a speed boost that will enable it to move data at a maximum of 4 billion bits per second, twice as fast as today's version. At the same time, the new DMX-4 promises greater energy efficiency to lower the user's power and cooling bills. "We require 10 to 30 percent less power and cooling" than competing products from IBM Corp. and Hitachi Data Systems, said David Donatelli, executive vice president of EMC's storage operations.
To save more power, DMX-4 users can order the system with Serial ATA hard drives like those used in desktop computers. These drives hold more per unit than the drives usually found in high-end storage systems. Storing more data on fewer drives can reduce power consumption by as much as 70 percent, Donatelli said.
Tony Asaro , a senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group in Milford, said EMC's move toward energy efficiency will please corporate computer managers desperate to hold the line on power consumption. "We're finding data centers have no more power," said Asaro. "Every time they turn something on, they have to turn something else off."
The new Symmetrix will also include enhanced auditing tools developed by RSA, EMC's data security business. The new tools will help system managers track access to sensitive data and better identify possible abuses, Donatelli said.
Asaro said that the new auditing tools reflect a better understanding of data security needs. "It's not just about data encryption," he said. "It's about who can actually get access to this stuff."
EMC's Centera line, used to store customer e-mails, medical records, and other sensitive data, will get an energy efficiency upgrade, as well as improved security and management software.
The Celerra network storage system will take advantage of Serial ATA drives to save on energy usage, and will incorporate a variety of data transfer protocols. This will make it easier to add Celerra systems to many different kinds of storage networks.
The low-end Clariion networked storage devices will also get security and energy-efficiency upgrades, and EMC will also bring out a new version of its Rainfinity system for file archiving.
The Centera and Rainfinity products are now available, with the other upgraded products due to go on sale next month.
Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com. 
