DataCore Software, a leading provider of virtualization software for storage, today highlighted a number of customers that have reaped huge rewards by virtualizing their storage along with their servers and desktops – thereby covering all three closely coupled dimensions of their infrastructure.

Customers using both DataCore and Citrix virtualization software include Switzerland-based Plakanda Management AG, American Health Network and Scottsdale Community College. These companies are but a small sample of the tens of thousands of organizations worldwide that have seen firsthand the value of an IT strategy that comprises the third dimension of virtualization – storage virtualization.

Virtualization Flexibility = Device Independence, Savings & Productivity

“DataCore storage virtualization software gives us cost savings and flexibility that is not achievable with storage hardware alone,” commented Andy Judge, founder and CEO, Grove Networks, a DataCore and Citrix partner. “It takes hardware to a higher level – serving as a hardware and productivity ‘enhancer’ that pays dividends over the short and long term.”

Just like its server and desktop virtualization cousins, storage virtualization software makes things far easier to manage and gives a range of options (the definition of “flexibility”) in terms of devices to buy, or re-purpose, and at what price-levels – the choice is yours.

At Citrix Synergy 2010 – Real World Desktop Virtualization

On the speaker’s roster for Synergy is DataCore and Citrix partner Steve Greenberg, founder and president at Thin Client Computing. Steve specializes in advanced deployments of Citrix technologies. His session, “Desktop virtualization for the real world,” will examine desktop virtualization benefits and the complete lifecycle of real world desktop virtualization projects.

This presentation highlights the success Scottsdale Community College has had with its “MySCC” project, which uses Citrix XenApp and XenServer along with DataCore SANmelody storage virtualization software.

More DataCore and Citrix Customers Highlighted

American Health Network (AHN) has deployed an IT infrastructure that now encompasses Citrix server and desktop virtualization along with DataCore software to virtualize its storage. The DataCore software proved particularly vital to AHN’s operationsrecently when system administrators noticed that AHN lost a major component of their storage infrastructure due to firmware problems, yet DataCore automatically and non-disruptively failed over to its high-availability partner and kept the storage access ‘live’ to application servers. In fact, “Not a single user or individual even noticed this failure – except for the few, select people in IT who were previously set up to monitor systems and receive such notices,” explained Stuart Donnelson, data center server manager, American Health Network. “It was then that we said – this DataCore product is really pretty darn great.”

Plakanda Management AG, a modern service provider of outdoor advertising in Switzerland, has realized a comprehensive virtualization project. DataCore’s SANmelody™ supports the Citrix Essentials and XenServer environment – actively providing dynamic resource utilization and reducing administration efforts. Once the company made the strategic decision to embrace virtualization with Citrix software, it made sense to also virtualize their existing storage with DataCore since the approach was similar. Now both servers and storage benefit from the consolidation, cost savings, greater flexibility and the productivity benefits of virtualization software.

“We are very pleased with our decision for a virtualization strategy with Citrix and DataCore. With the combination of SANmelody with the Citrix Essentials and XenServer we benefit from a dynamic storage management, reduced administration and long term cost savings,” commented Clem Albrecht, IT director, Plakanda Management AG.

For more on DataCore and Citrix, please visit: www.datacore.com/solutions/govirt-citrix.asp

Is Your Virtualization Plan 3-Dimensional?

Servers and desktops deserve much attention, but disks represent a disproportionately large share of recurring capital expenditures and a constant source of upheaval. By virtualizing disks across pools of tiered storage devices, DataCore™ software overcomes incompatibilities among different generations, models and manufacturers to maximize their combined value. As importantly, it eliminates storage-related disruptions, bottlenecks and funding roadblocks that jeopardize server and desktop virtualization projects. DataCore™ lets you provision, share, reconfigure, migrate, replicate, expand and upgrade storage without slowdowns or downtime. This helps contain costs, avoid risks, boost productivity and extend the life of IT investments.
Link: DataCore Takes Virtualization to the 3rd Dimension.

See DataCore at Citrix Synergy – Booth 500

Citrix Synergy™ San Francisco takes place May 12-14 at the Moscone West Convention Center. Synergy is the industry’s only conference focused on the growing convergence between virtualization, networking and cloud computing. More information is available on the Citrix Synergy website.