HP Simplifies Virtualized Infrastructures with Industry-first Storage Capabilities

Kuala Lumpur, April 27, 2009 – HP today announced new shared storage solutions that improve business reliability and reduce costs by simplifying server virtualization deployments.
Customers deploying virtual environments often overlook the storage requirements needed to match their redesigned infrastructure. This can lead to lower levels of data availability and poor utilization of storage assets. In addition, customers frequently do not have the storage space needed to scale as business demands increase, which can impact application performance.

The new HP LeftHand P4000 SAN solutions offer a scale-out architecture that provides data replication and automatically balances data volumes across all storage resources. Furthermore, to ensure that application requirements are met, administrators can cost-effectively deploy shared storage within virtual server environments while using existing physical and virtual technology infrastructures.

HP also announced the industry’s first highly available shared storage solution within a virtualized blade server infrastructure.(1) The new HP StorageWorks SB40c with P4000 Virtual SAN Appliance Software bundle delivers a scalable storage area network (SAN). This SAN can be deployed within the HP BladeSystem infrastructure and expanded across multiple blade enclosures to meet high growth storage needs.

“Customers need agile, integrated storage solutions to realize the full potential of virtualization,” said Jim Wagstaff, Vice President and General Manager, StorageWorks Division, HP Asia Pacific and Japan. “LeftHand solutions are now available in the Asia Pacific region and these new solutions offer the high data availability and utilization needs they require. Based on industry-standard platforms, this approach also enables customers to scale their environments without interruption as their businesses grow.”

Enhanced server virtualization with virtualized storage
The iSCSI SAN market is expected to increase at a 25 percent compounded annual growth rate through 2013.(2) Server virtualization is a key driver of this growth. To address this, the HP LeftHand P4000 SAN solutions allow customers to ensure business-critical data is always available while reducing the costs of managing and expanding their storage infrastructures.
HP LeftHand SAN solutions:
· Increase capacity utilization by approximately 33 percent to maximize storage investments;(3)
· Allow customers to purchase capacity as business demands grow, easily increasing both capacity and performance without disruptions to business operations;
· Lower server and storage network deployment costs by leveraging traditional Ethernet networks and supporting a full range of HP ProCurve networking switches; and
· Include targeted solutions for multi-site, virtual server and new SAN deployments for small to midsize customers and remote locations.

The HP StorageWorks SB40c with P4000 Virtual SAN Appliance Software bundle allows customers to build an iSCSI SAN within a blade infrastructure to meet their shared storage needs. As a result, customers can:
· Lower costs by using existing infrastructure while reducing power and cooling requirements;
· Scale storage beyond a single enclosure, meeting the most demanding data requirements and maintaining availability during unexpected failures;
· Reduce complexity by consolidating management of all P4000 SAN solutions through a single user interface; and
· Integrate fault management with HP Systems Insight Manager for common management of servers and storage within existing operational processes.

VMware integration simplifies management
The HP LeftHand P4000 SAN Solutions and VSA software leverage VMware’s vStorage functionality, integrate with VMware Site Recovery Manager and are VMware Ready™ Certified. As a result, customers benefit from simplified management and availability of virtual infrastructures.

“VMware virtualization provides immediate relief to customers needing to control IT costs while meeting demand for increased business agility,” said Parag Patel, vice president, Alliances, VMware. “By combining the VMware platform with either the HP LeftHand P4000 SAN or VSA, we’re delivering customers a solution that enables increased storage requirements and scalability with no downtime – it’s an ideal combination for customers.”

Supporting channel partners worldwide
HP also introduced a channel registration program that allows HP partners to grow their businesses and better support customers. The program is available through HP’s Value Special Pricing offered to partners who have a specific sales opportunity that includes HP LeftHand solutions. This offer is available worldwide and may vary by region. Resellers can contact their local HP representative for details.

More information on HP LeftHand P4000 SAN solutions is available at www.hp.com/go/lefthandsans.

Pricing and availability
HP LeftHand P4000 SAN solutions are available immediately through HP and channel partners worldwide. Pricing varies by region.