Auspex comes up to Microsoft's mark

Storage vendor's NS3000 series passes verification tests.

Network attached storage (Nas) vendor Auspex has passed verification tests for its NS3000 series of enterprise storage servers to be compatible with Microsoft operating systems.

Auspex, which claims to have invented the Nas system more than a decade ago, tested its NS3000 series with VeriTest, an independent compatibility service from Lionbridge Technologies.

The NS3000 passed with Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Exchange Server 5.5, SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition and Internet Information Server 5.0.

Jon Mills, general manager of European operations at Auspex, said that, in the current market, vendors need to increase their interoperability.

"Because of market forces, resellers and end users need to feel confident that the products they are buying or deploying work with other vendors' systems. It decreases any financial risk," he explained.

Mills added that the test results also prove that a particular product family had passed compatibility testing for good. However, he pointed out that if an updated range of products is introduced any "significant changes" must be re-tested.

Claus Egge, research director at IDC, agreed. "This type of testing is a good thing because partners are concerned with interoperability, and it will become increasingly important for vendors operating in the Nas space," he said.