Special Section: SNW, Fall 2004 - More News From SNW:

WilTel, Nortel, EMC Offer Unique Storage Solution In 100 Cities

WilTel Communications and Nortel Networks Toronto announced a unique storage extension solution for enterprise customers. WilTel collaborated with Nortel Networks and EMC Corp to develop StorageXtend, a solution that enables enterprise customers to implement network-based business continuity, disaster recovery, server and storage consolidation. StorageXtend removes cost-prohibitive networking barriers by enabling businesses to select scalable, right-sized bandwidth increments.

Offered by WilTel in more than 100 cities throughout the United States and featuring an end-to-end service-level agreement (SLA), StorageXtend is a fully managed solution, bundling Nortel Networks Optical Metro 3500 SONET platform with WilTel Protected Private Line service and implementing virtual concatenation. StorageXtend is interoperable with the market leading EMC Symmetrix DMX and EMC CLARiiON CX families of networked storage systems and leading EMC SRDF (Symmetrix Remote Data Facility) and EMC MirrorView software for remote data replication.

"Enterprise customers are increasingly looking to WilTel for effective ways to implement business continuity and disaster recovery solutions," said Tony Tomae, senior vice president of marketing for WilTel. "StorageXtend offers the benefits of a secure, end-to-end protected private line connectivity service with enhanced flexibility through incremental bandwidth options. Additionally, because it is fully managed, customers are not required to deploy any capital."

WilTel's StorageXtend is the industry's first storage over SONET service to offer flexible and scalable bandwidth in 50 Mbps increments, providing enterprise customers with a cost-effective alternative to traditional optical SONET services, typically only available in 150, 600 or 2,500 Mbps increments. In addition, StorageXtend provides further cost efficiencies by enabling enterprises to converge their LAN and SAN application traffic over the same SONET access facility with full application isolation.

"With the increased complexity in networks today, customers are seeking ways to reduce costs and simplify their networks," said Philippe Morin, general manager of Optical Networks for Nortel Networks. "Utilizing our Next Gen SONET technology, this solution enables both LAN and SAN traffic to be securely and reliably sent across converged SONET access facilities to enable strategic enterprise business plans."

StorageXtend is a result of the collaboration of three industry-leading companies, representing the vital components of an effective storage area networking solution. StorageXtend was tested over WilTel's nationwide SONET network to ensure interoperability with EMC and Nortel Networks Business Continuity Over Optical Networks solution. This EMC Proven Solution combines EMC's networked storage systems and remote replication software with Nortel Networks Next Gen SONET technology to provide a flexible, scalable, geographically dispersed business continuity infrastructure and includes a sophisticated, integrated business continuity assessment from EMC and Nortel Networks that can help customers determine the optimal storage and connectivity requirements to meet their recovery objectives.

"Business continuity is one of the top priorities of enterprises today," said Gregg Therkalsen, vice president of business continuity at EMC. "Remote replication provides organizations with the highest levels of protection for their information and the fastest recovery times. StorageXtend from WilTel supports EMC's leading replication technology and gives customers the ability to quickly and cost-effectively deploy a pre-tested, scalable and flexible business continuity solution."