Dell, EMC Plan Low-End Storage Offering

EMC and Dell plan a new storage offering for the super low-end, according to officials of both companies.

Russ Holt, enterprise engineering VP for the Dell product group, told analysts last week that the companies are working on a “sub-entry”-level platform, including “a low-cost HBA solution and a low-cost switch solution.”

“We will see a much lower cost of entry for SAN solutions,” targeted at small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs), Holt told analysts on Dell’s enterprise and services strategy conference call.

Holt said the introduction of Serial ATA (SATA) technology is enabling the lower-cost solution. Dell discussed the product with vendors such as Brocade , McDATA , Emulex , and QLogic , according to Holt.

“We went to the HBA and switch vendors and said, ‘We really want to reset the cost point for SAN solutions. Which one of you wants to come do that with us?’ And that’s what you’ll see as we introduce this sub-entry platform,” Holt said.

At the Goldman Sachs Technology Symposium this week, EMC CEO Joe Tucci confirmed that Dell and EMC are working on a low-end product, but Tucci emphasized the NAS aspect of it.

“Probably the worst-kept secret we’ve ever had is we’re coming out with a lower-end CLARiiON,” Tucci announced. “And that’s, of course, going to be a NAS version of that. And that will drop us into a different price point, and that’s the first time that we’ve been there.”

“Clearly with the NAS,” Tucci continued, “the low-end CLARiiON product … is going to be an extremely important product for Dell, and that could put NAS at a price point that is really in Dell’s wheelhouse.”

Neither company provided detail beyond the comments from Holt and Tucci.

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