Features - Storage Innovations:

PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS SUPPORTS HITACHI STORAGE

Precise/Lightpoint maps logical application data with the physical storage array, delivering unprecedented visibility into application performance - from the application server, through the database server into the Hitachi Freedom Storage.

"As the world's fastest growing enterprise storage provider, Hitachi Data Systems is committed to providing simple, intelligent, and available solutions that meet the real-world needs of enterprise customers," commented Steve East, vice president storage integration, Hitachi Data Systems. "By integrating with Hitachi's HiCommand Device Manager, Precise's Application Performance Management solutions help us to deliver on that commitment."

Developed exclusively for Hitachi Data Systems, Precise/Lightpoint links to the Hitachi Freedom Storage Lightning 9900 and Thunder 9200 storage systems via Hitachi's HiCommand Device Manager. Precise/Lightpoint then maps physical storage device and spindle information with logical application data from the application, Oracle database, and operating system to analyze application I/O activity, identify database and application performance issues, and trace I/O bottlenecks back to their source within the storage systems. This enables IT staff to make informed storage system performance tuning decisions for optimal data striping and data placement, hot-spot management, and effective load balancing, caching, and pre-fetching.

"Effective performance management requires that users view the storage system as a component of the entire application infrastructure," commented Corey Ferengul, vice president META Group, Service Management Strategies. "Performance management solutions must track an application transaction as it flows across the infrastructure - from the client to a specific storage device - to provide a holistic picture of performance and accurately pinpoint the source of performance degradation wherever it occurs in the application infrastructure."

Precise/Lightpoint further enhances Precise i3, Precise's industry-leading suite of Application Performance Management solutions, to provide an end-toend, correlated view of application performance across any heterogeneous infrastructure - from the end-user all the way to a specific Hitachi Freedom Storage device - to proactively and automatically identify the symptoms and drill down and analyze the root causes of performance degradation. Precise i3 expedites the retrieval of information from the application to deliver optimal service to end users, all while maximizing customers' investment in the application infrastructure.

"The e-revolution continues to drive the demand for high performance data storage, and Precise now delivers visibility across the complete application infrastructure into the storage of the three leading storage vendors," said Andrew Bird, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Precise Software Solutions. "With the release of Precise/Lightpoint, Precise clearly supports Hitachi Data Systems' commitment to its customers' investment in storage solutions enabling users to optimize application performance in support of business objectives, achieve rapid ROI, and deliver consistently fast response times to their end users."

Available immediately, Precise/Lightpoint supports Hitachi Data Systems' Hitachi Freedom Storage Lightning 9900, and Thunder 9200, running the Hitachi Data Systems HiCommand Device Manager 1.1 software.

About Precise Software Solutions

Precise Software Solutions, headquartered in Westwood, MA, delivers Precise i3, a comprehensive solution for Application Performance Management that focuses directly on the end-user experience and delivers a rapid return on technology investments.

By continuously monitoring and analyzing all vital components of the application infrastructure, "from URL to SQL and Beyond", Precise i3 proactively detects and corrects the root causes of performance degradation before they affect response times. Precise i3 identifies trends and deviations from the norm, delivering the right balance of performance optimization and strategic business planning. 5,000 leading enterprises worldwide, including 80% of the Fortune 100, are using Precise's solutions to help maximize their technology investments and meet their business goals. Precise has offices throughout North America, Europe, the Middle East, Far East and Pacific Rim, as well as a global network of resellers and distributors.

More information on Precise is available at www.precise.com.