HP Introduces Storage Essentials to Unify Storage Management

HP Storage Essentials will integrate with the upcoming HP System Insight Manager Platform and eventually with Web services.

Hewlett-Packard on Thursday unveiled Storage Essentials, its new software suite ticketed to cement the control of storage growth and optimization within HPs Adaptive Enterprise vision of building a unified server and storage management computing environment for its customers heterogeneous systems.

Set for roll-out on March 28, HP Storage Essentials integrates with HP System Insight Manager, Hewlett-Packard Co.s consolidated management platform for servers which spans from HP Proliant to HP Superdome server units and supports Unix and Linux. HP Insight Manager v.4.0 is currently available via free download and also comes bundled with HP hardware.

Later this year, HP will release a new HP System Insight Manager platform featuring integrated heterogeneous storage management capabilities enabling discovery, asset status and storage capacity functions directly into the base product, said Rich Escott, director of Storage Management Software for Palo Alto, Calif.-based HP.

Eventually, HP Systems Insight Manager will be able to integrate with Web services and higher workflow operations.

Resource Library:

"Through HP System Insight Manager, we will have a very rich storage management capability, including automated provisioning from our own products and others, such as Sun Microsystems, Hitachi Data Systems and EMC," Escott said.

The application modules providing storage resource management in HP Storage Essentials are being delivered to HP via its recent seven-year OEM agreement with Burlington, Mass.-based AppIQ Inc. The two parties will also collaborate on future product development.

Click here to read about AppIQs agreement with Sun to license its AppIQ Storage Authority Suite.

Escott said that a common management platform will enable IT specialists to collaborate much more effectively because they can access a common view into a variety of systems or problems without the running overhead or management of multiple discovery engines.

Eric Craig, managing director for Houston, Tex.-based Continental Airlines Inc., said he is looking forward to reaping the benefits of integrated storage management within HP System Insight Manager to help oversee his HP Enterprise Virtual Array products.

"We currently use insight manager to manage an awful lot of HP gear. To the extent that HP can centralize my view of the enterprise, thats going to save me some real dollars down the road and save me from [hiring] subject matter experts we have today," Craig said.

Craig added, "The [storage] tools dont run themselves. They have to be configured, and set up, and cared for, and fed. Streamlined management is the most important thing to me because that in turn lowers your cost."

To read about HPs recent improvements to OpenView, click here.

Escott said that HP will continue to support and honor all existing HP OpenView Storage Area Manager licenses and agreements for at least three years before the product is phased out to make way for HP Insight System Manager.

"We recognize that our customers in the enterprise field need time to make plans and changes in infrastructure. Were not pulling the rug out from anybody. We will allow our customers ample time to make that change," he remarked.

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