DataCore Brings Storage Virtualization to the Channel

DataCore Software is turning to the channel to sell its storage virtualization software.

The company has inked reseller agreements with Tech Data (NASDAQ: TECD) and Ingram Micro (NYSE: IM) in recent days to do just that.

The partnerships suggest that storage virtualization is emerging as a revenue opportunity for VARs and as a promising investment for companies eager to maximize their money and data center resources in a depressed economy.

“Storage virtualization is the next wave of virtualization, and it’s just starting to take off,” said Pete Peterson, senior vice president and general manager of Tech Data’s advanced infrastructure solutions (AIS) division.

“This year could see a lot of interest in storage virtualization as companies seek compelling ways to improve their storage management capabilities while saving money on hardware,” he said, noting that growth in most hardware markets is projected to be flat for the year.

Peterson said many companies will leverage software such as DataCore’s to optimize their existing storage infrastructure and will turn to VARs for consulting and installation assistance.

DataCore’s software is designed to improve the use of storage devices attached to a SAN by creating a virtual pool of storage capacity that can be allocated and provisioned in real time as user demand warrants. This facilitates more efficient, centralized management of storage.

“DataCore virtualization software is an excellent opportunity for VARs to demonstrate strong value to their customers by fundamentally changing how they manage their storage, reducing costs and complexity, while enhancing business critical applications such as disaster recovery,” said Christian Hagen, DataCore’s vice president of sales for the Americas, in a prepared statement.

Tech Data also offers server Virtualizationtechnologies through partnerships with Vizioncore, Parallels, VMware (NYSE: VMW) and Virtual Iron.

Under the DataCore agreement, Tech Data will distribute DataCore’s SANmelody and SANsymphony software products. SANmelody converts virtual and physical servers into fully capable storage servers and high-availability iSCSI and Fibre Channel SAN platforms, with features like automated storage management, high availability, disaster recovery and thin provisioning. SANsymphony is an open storage networking platform designed to enable companies to maximize the value of SANs through storage virtualization, continuous data protection (CDP) and advanced management tools.

DataCore storage virtualization solutions run on standard physical or virtual servers and are suited for virtual machine and virtual desktop environments, with prices starting at less than $10,000.

Article courtesy of IT Channel Planet