Checking Storage Capacity — on an iPhone

There’s nothing like making a phone call, listening to a favorite MP3, then checking your company’s storage capacity — all on the same handheld unit. In this case, it’s an iPhone.

Aptare’s personable CEO, Rick Clark, showed The Station one of the more interesting demos at this week’s Storage Networking World conference in Dallas.

Aptare, based in Campbell, Calif., has provided Web-based storage reporting and management software for a couple of years, and last August it expanded its product line to include storage capacity management.

Clark explained that one of the company’s engineers was able to score one of the early iPhones and subsequently adapted a version of the company’s flagship StorageConsole software so that IT administrators can check storage status through the device. “The interface is agnostic, so it also works with a multitude of Web browsers and e-mail systems,” Clark said.

Check it out here.

(Here are some screen shots of the capacity planner dashboard and other features.)

The new version, Aptare StorageConsole 6.5, will be available in November. Clark said it also includes two other products: backup and capacity management.

Aptare’s approach is entirely Web-based, incorporating a Web 2.0-type platform that lets administrators drag and drop reports and dashboards. It also comes loaded with out-of-the-box dashboard reports, Clark said.

Stay tuned for more on this interesting company in The Station.