HP to Offer Networked Storage for Smaller Businesses

Well-priced business storage options available in the fall.

Ben Ames, IDG News Service

MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS-- Hewlett-Packard will launch a family of networked storage products in September to compete with EMC for the small- and medium-size business customers.

The products, announced today, will simplify the process of migrating data from application servers to shared network storage, says Debbie Young, worldwide marketing manager for HP's StorageWorks division, in Marlborough, Massachusetts.

Pricing for the products will range from $5000 for 1 terabyte of capacity up to $10,000 for higher capacity, which means they will cost less than HP's current low-end storage tool, the modular smart array (MSA).

As their businesses grow, users will be able to upgrade through the spectrum of HP storage options, from 24 terabytes for the MSA to 72 terabytes for the enterprise virtual array (EVA) to 332 terabytes for the XP array.

Despite the low price tag, HP and its partners will stand to profit since the number of small and medium-size businesses is growing so fast.

Launch Plans

HP will launch the product with a $20 million worldwide marketing campaign to compete against products such as StoreVault from Network Appliance (NetApp), SAN Express from QLogic, and Snap Server from Adaptec.

Small-business users typically hold their data on anywhere from 3 to 14 servers, adding extra servers as they grow, Young says.

In market research, HP found that 60 percent to 70 percent of those users said they had continued to use this "direct attached storage" technique because its simplicity allows them to maintain it without a full-time IT department, and because the only alternatives in today's market cost $20,000 to $30,000.

To reach those users, HP has designed its new products to be able to host client applications, e-mail that runs on Exchange or Lotus servers, and ERP (enterprise resource planning) and CRM (customer relationship management) databases, all without requiring customers to install a fiber channel infrastructure.

The new line of products will protect data by duplicating it in snapshots stored on the same box or by creating tape backups on an attached device. In an effort to keep prices low, the new offerings will not include data encryption.

System Details

HP would not reveal details of the system design, but says it will include shared application server storage, a Microsoft Windows-based file server, and proprietary intellectual property to provide data management and protection.

Rather than using revolutionary hardware, it relies on the wide adoption of common industry standards, as well as on a tight integration of domains that have been separated in previous designs, says Ash Ashutosh, vice president and chief technology officer of HP's StorageWorks division.