EMC makes Clariion AX100 call to SMEs
Self-install, low-cost SAN spearheads vendor's small-business drive
MC's new low-cost SAN, which holds up to three terabytes of data and can be installed in less than an hour, has been welcomed by resellers.
The diminutive rack-mounted Clariion AX100 system - previously code-named Piranha - is aimed at SMEs and will be sold entirely through EMC's worldwide channel.
"You can carry it under your arm. It has controllers, power, cooling and disk drives, all in a 2U-high rack unit," Mike Wytenus, senior director at EMC Clariion global storage, told CRN.
He claimed the AX100 is the only system for SMEs with network storage built in, providing a low-cost migration path from direct-attached storage (DAS). A minimum 480GB configuration starts at £3,445.
EMC told CRN last month that it was planning to target the SME sector aggressively with the product, and wanted 30 per cent of the market as soon as possible.
But Simon Gay, consultancy practice leader at Computacenter, warned: "EMC is moving further into the volume market, but it is up against a different set of competitors in a populated market."
However, he added that such a product is easier to sell, and despite the ease of installation users still need services. "(The AX100) enables people to move to network storage more easily at an appropriate price," Gay said.
According to Wytenus, SMEs have had to expand DAS for messaging and web data, but DAS also means inefficient use of disk capacity. The AX100 SAN provides a way out, he added.
Damon Dance, sales director at VAR Repton, said: "Network storage is the way forward and self-install is going to be the key.
"The big boys must come up with more cost-effective and easier storage. It is forward-looking, and I think companies such as Hitachi Data Systems, IBM and Hewlett-Packard will follow."
The SAN uses Serial ATA disks of either 160GB or 250GB. A switching wizard guides customers through installation.