PoINT Implements Storage Tiering

PoINT Software and Systems GmbH has extended the archiving functionality in their PoINT Storage Manager, a software solution enabling companies to implement a tiered storage architecture.

In the current release up to four archive storage systems can be integrated in the Archive Tier. Thereby all storage technologies from disk, tape, optical to cloud are supported. All device classes like DAS NAS, CAS or libraries can be integrated.

PoINT has quite recently announced the support of the hybrid storage solution StrongBox of Crossroads Systems, Inc. in the Archive Tier.

With these developments the company responds to current market requirements to provide increasing archiving in subsystems. Consequently manufacturers of document management and enterprise content management systems begin to support archive storage no longer directly, but to implement it by special storage management software. Thus end users of ECM suites can combine their various storage systems and individually store data by configurable policies in different tiers.

Due to the exponentially growing data volume and the increasing costs for storage media the topic of efficient archiving becomes more important. Companies can optimally utilize their existing storage capacities while archiving data via a three tiered storage architecture, as PoINT Storage Manager offers, without interrupting business operations.

It is a software solution providing a tiered storage architecture by a policy-based data management with automated file migration and archiving as well as migration between different tiers. The primary storage of the performance tier are offloaded, when inactive data – which is generally up to 80% of the total data volume – can be migrated to more cost-effective secondary storage used within the capacity or Archive Tier.

Companies and software manufacturers have recognized this advantage and realized archiving by a decided tiered storage software solution, as PoINT Storage Manager. The files are archived transparently by the standardized CIFS protocol.

Additionally special authentication and encryption functions of PoINT Storage Manager protect against unauthorized access. The replication to further storage media offers also security. Furthermore end users benefit from their independence of specific storage manufacturers. A possible archive storage migration operates background and does not affect the performance of the IT environment. In addition no changes in related applications are necessary.