Features - Storage Innovations:

SOFTEK ANNOUNCES COMPREHENSIVE DATA REPLICATION STRATEGY

Softek, a leading global provider of storage management software, outlined a new data replication strategy for its open systems and mainframe product lines that is designed to deliver the industry's most flexible and cost-effective data replication solutions, in addition to enabling significant operational efficiencies for IT administrators.

To support and enhance the new Softek replication strategy, the company also announced a new product, Softek Replicator, for host-based open systems and mainframe data replication; as well as enhanced versions of Softek TDMF, for host-based open systems and mainframe data migration; and Softek Storage Provisioner, which provides network-based data replication.

"Softek is the only company delivering affordable replication technology across UNIX, Windows and z/OS platforms," said Karen Dutch, vice president of product management at Softek. "Now, replication technology is no longer exclusive to top-tier data centers. Our replication solutions remove the limitations imposed by proprietary hardware approaches that require expensive hardware, dedicated networks and complex software. Each features a common-console design that helps IT administrators maintain data availability and data integrity throughout the replication process, regardless of platform or storage hardware. We enable more companies to implement on-line data availability solutions for more classes and tiers of data. In bringing replication to the masses, we continue to deliver on our promise to simplify and optimize data storage."

The new data replication strategy for Softek leverages the company's heritage in pioneering the first host based mainframe data replication technology in 1996, as well as the company's foray into the open systems, host-based market in 2000. These technologies, refined and enhanced over the years, have been implemented by over 500 enterprises to power solutions in four key areas:

• Disaster Recovery -- data replication across IP networks with full data integrity and consistency
• Advanced Backup -- replication and point in time functionality for simplified backup operations with reduced application disruption
• Resource Consolidation -- data replication and migration capabilities that enable server, storage or data center consolidation
• Data Migration -- non-disruptive data migration for storage array replacement and space management

All Softek replication solutions are platform independent and interoperable across, and between, any storage array hardware architecture, eliminating vendor lock-in. Softek host-based and network-based replication technologies address:

• All major operating systems, including UNIX (AIX, HP-UX, Linux and Solaris), Windows and z/OS
• Any storage array (EMC, Hitachi Data Systems, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, StorageTek, or commodity-level JBOD (just-a-bunch-of-disks), direct or SAN attached

"Enterprise customers worldwide continue to struggle to meet the availability requirements for mission-critical IT infrastructure," said John McArthur, group vice president of storage research at IDC. "Platform-independent replication solutions, such as Softek's suite of products, provide significant flexibility and reduced complexity and should be considered as part of any data and application availability strategy.

Softek Replicator

Softek Replicator is versatile, multi-platform data replication software that enables local and off-site disaster recovery, eliminates backup windows and helps facilitate server and storage migrations and consolidations. Source data is never touched and multiple replication configurations can be created and adjusted to meet the "time to recovery" and "point of recovery" needs of business applications, both locally and remotely.

Softek Replicator provides a multi-functional graphical user interface (GUI), allowing centralized management of replication activities on any UNIX, Windows or z/OS server. The GUI enables IT administrators to instantly see the status of every server involved in replication activities, monitor replication performance and perform actions to replicate volumes.

Softek Replicator enhances application availability levels by minimizing application outages and monitoring network bandwidth. Its multiple hardware platform support enables standardized replication processes for backup/recovery, migration and disaster recovery activities, which reduces training time for IT staff.

Softek TDMF

Softek TDMF is host-based migration software that is designed for enterprises moving data in heterogeneous environments. It is the only software solution that ensures mission-critical applications maintain 100 percent availability during data migration. Full data integrity is maintained because source data is never touched. Optimum application availability is achieved because the Softek TDMF software is used independent of applications, thus ensuring no disruptions when swapping the application's access to new volumes and/or storage devices.

Softek Storage Provisioner

Softek Storage Provisioner is a SAN-based software solution that consolidates disparate storage arrays into centralized and tiered storage pools. The technology provides network-based high availability and data replication services that simplify business continuance and disaster recovery initiatives. IT administrators can use Softek Provisioner to automatically create mirrors and point-in-time copies for any combination of open system hosts, without any modifications or other administration tasks.