StorageTek spices up its lifecycle
Vendor beefs up information lifecycle management strategy
StorageTek has announced new products as part of the vendor's effort to add meat to its information lifecycle management (ILM) strategy.
The Lifecycle Director software, available from 1 May, is designed to automate and speed up access to data and its movement through its lifecycle.
It will initially run on IBM DB2 databases and is compatible with OS/390 or z/OS operating systems.
Todd Rief, StorageTek director of operational strategy, said: "ILM is a process, not a product. It requires services and expertise, as well as the right storage."
Rief added that the company's strategy will appeal equally well to large and medium-sized businesses as it will to its channel, because data volume growth and compliance pressures have highlighted the value of up-to-date storage services.
Sue Clarke, senior research analyst at Butler Group, agreed that compliance would be the driver of ILM. "There is real value in ILM and all the major vendors have been quick to pick up on this," she said.
"There are good marketing opportunities involved, but lots of companies will take up ILM because of compliance issues. Regulations such as Basel II and Sarbanes Oxley will help to drive ILM."
Clarke added that StorageTek had been putting across its strategy very well to the channel. Although take-up of ILM would not be immediate, it would be big in the future, she said.
Graham Titterington, senior analyst at Ovum, said: "ILM became a cult in the second half of 2003. It appears to be the result of a business need, but it has a long way to go before it becomes an accepted business tool."
StorageTek also unveiled its T9840C tape drive at CeBIT. It features native fibre and enterprise systems connectivity (Ficon and Escon) interfaces to mainframes.