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Network Appliance and AppIQ are developing an open interface based on the Storage Networking Industry Association’s (SNIA) Storage Management Initiative Specification (SMI-S) to unify SAN and NAS storage management.
The AppIQ Solution Suite will be the first to manage the Network Appliance unified storage platform through an SMI-S interface. The two companies are also partnering to drive the NAS implementation of SMI-S.
“The efforts AppIQ and Network Appliance are making to propel the SMI-S are reflective of the overall industry support for this standard,” says John Webster, senior analyst and cofounder of Data Mobility Group. “By integrating the management of NAS and SAN through the implementation of the SMI-S, customers have the freedom to utilize both technologies and manage both through a single console. This reduces the cost and complexity of their storage environments, and in turn increases their ROI.”
In an industry full of proprietary solutions, AppIQ has taken the unusual approach of making SMI-S its focus. Network Appliance is a charter
member of the CIMIQ Partner Program launched by AppIQ last year, and AppIQ recently enrolled in Network Appliance’s Advantage Developer Program. CIMIQ is a software development platform that boosts deployment of standards-based solutions, specifically CIM (Common Information Model), WBEM (Web-Based Enterprise Management), and SMI-S compliant products. NetApp’s Advantage Developer Program offers the tools and the developer support for creating NetApp technology-enabled solutions.
“By leveraging AppIQ’s unique expertise in CIM-development, we are able to offer more powerful solutions to our mutual customers at a lower TCO,” asserts Suresh Vasudevan, senior director of product management at Network Appliance.
The AppIQ Solution Suite will provide native management support for the NetApp FAS900 unified storage platform, including storage visualization, deployment, and provisioning. SMI-S Version 1.0 is the target specification, but the two companies are also driving the NAS implementation of SMI-S Version 1.1.
“We take standards seriously as the means to deliver the highest value to our customers,” says Jim Geronaitis, director of strategic alliances at AppIQ. “We’re pleased to work with Network Appliance to extend our open management to unified SAN and NAS storage.”
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