Fujitsu Solves Cost-of-growth Storage Challenge with New High-end Systems

Tokyo, November 01, 2011

Fujitsu today extends modular technology into the high-end disk storage segment by offering customers the choice to start small and letting systems grow in line with business requirements.

With the new generation ETERNUS DX systems, enterprises are no longer forced accurately to anticipate future demand levels when choosing which high-end model to buy, and committing to a fixed data-capacity range. Previously, this meant paying the price for making the wrong choice: through costly overestimation of future capacity requirements, or having to change again later to a bigger system.

Fujitsu ETERNUS DX8700 S2 rewrites the rules by making the leap from monolithic to modular architecture, while also guaranteeing the mission-critical levels of reliability and performance demanded by enterprises. As a result, customers can avoid the disruption of unplanned change while tangentially reducing upfront investment.

Fujitsu is addressing exactly the problem of managing enterprise storage data growth with its latest generation of ETERNUS DX Enterprise Disk Storage System, introducing a modular architecture that can be flexibly expanded to meet ever-changing business needs. The new Fujitsu ETERNUS DX8700 S2 is purpose-built for environments with multiple open systems, and virtualized infrastructures. This ETERNUS DX system brings mission-critical reliability and performance to the fore, without unnecessary expense on upfront investment.

'The Flexible Data Safe' concept means customers can minimize initial costs by starting with a system as small as two controller modules (CM) and four drive enclosures (DE) and then scale, as they require, up to eight CM and 3,072 disk drives. Each ETERNUS DX module has a new minimized, high density form factor that fits into a standard 19-inch datacenter rack.

Enabling ETERNUS customers to accurately estimate and control costs as they grow – with no hidden extras – Fujitsu's transparent license model allows changes to be made over time without hitting price-increase thresholds that require the purchase of further unplanned licenses, and for which often no budget remains. ETERNUS DX software licenses have a fixed price, based on the number of controllers used, instead of more usual variable data capacities.

New features in ETERNUS DX8700 S2 systems include Fujitsu's Flexible Data Management concept allowing a higher level of automation for storage tiering, including support for different disk types and capacities that ensure an optimum service level in dynamic and fast-changing environments. Data throughput speeds are now 300 percent faster and Fujitsu has certified more connectable host systems. Finally, data protection features are enhanced with the introduction of self-encrypting disk drives.

Says Kazuhiro Igarashi, President of the Storage Systems Unit at Fujitsu Limited, "Fujitsu has evolved the ETERNUS DX Family, building on our 40 years of experience in storage development and the skills of over 1,000 storage engineers to position Fujitsu as the challenger in the top-league of the global disk storage market. 'The Flexible Data Safe' concept enables the Fujitsu ETERNUS DX8700 S2 to deliver unmatched flexibility and cost efficiency for growth in the high-end data center class of systems."

Fujitsu ETERNUS DX8700 S2 will be generally available globally in February 2012. Pricing varies by configuration and country.

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