Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

BYTE AND SWITCH INSIDER HOMES IN ON ILM HYPE

Data migration and archiving products focused on database and email applications have catalyzed the long-hyped ILM market, realizing the promises of more intelligently managed tiered storage, according to a new report from the subscription research service Byte and Switch Insider.

The report -- ILM: At the Crest of a Wave -- examines this small but growing group of products and compares them to the general ILM products that have targeted broader use in storage settings. Product characteristics reviewed in the report include OS and storage support; migration policy criteria; and pricing.

"A small group of software suppliers has given hope to ILM seekers," says the report's author, Byte and Switch Insider senior analyst Brett Mendel. "These products integrate tightly with the applications generating data, providing more in-depth knowledge of the data and more useful migration policies."

Among The Report's Conclusions:

• ILM products for database and email applications are leading the charge, while ERP and CRM will fuel the next wave of adoption.

• EMC and Veritas have relied on acquisition to establish themselves as the players to beat.

• General ILM products focusing on unstructured file data have yet to provide many of the benefits sought by enterprises.

• Two privately held companies, OuterBay and Princeton Softech, have a foothold in ILM for database applications.

ILM products for applications from the following vendors are discussed in this report: CommVault Systems Inc, EMC Corp, OuterBay Technologies Inc, Princeton Softech Inc, Storage Technology Corp, and Veritas Software Corp.

General ILM products from the following vendors are discussed in this report: Arkivio Inc, Atempo Inc, CommVault, EMC, IBM Corp and Veritas.