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DataCore Makes The Grade For Vancouver School Board

DataCore Software, a leading provider of open storage networking software, is helping Vancouver School Board (VSB) to enhance the overall productivity and value of its IBM storage subsystem investments. VSB based its storage strategy on SANsymphony software from DataCore, which eases the management of its storage area network (SAN), and IBM mid-range FAStT storage arrays, to cost effectively manage its growing data storage capacity requirements. SANsymphony, which is resold by IBM on a worldwide basis, pools the individual arrays into a highly scalable, centrally administered fault-tolerant SAN.

The VSB is the governing body for all public education in Vancouver, Canada. Its IT department supports more than 8,000 employee e-mail accounts, human resources applications, financial systems, student records and the Board's Web site. As a public institution, the VSB is under constant scrutiny to wisely manage expenditures. As a result, measurable return on investment and control over total cost of ownership are major issues for Peter Powell, VSB's supervisor of network development.

"Keeping up with the storage demands of each application was getting more and more difficult, with increased cost implications," said Powell. "Some servers were running out of disk space while other servers had excess capacity. Yet, we had no way to tap into this available and unused capacity. It made no sense to purchase more disks and put up with downtime when there was seemingly enough storage space to meet our needs. DataCore's open and flexible approach lets us fully use all our disk capacity, doubling our storage utilization while keeping our applications online."

To more efficiently manage its growing environment, the VSB migrated from direct-attached storage to the 'Powered by DataCore' SAN. This proved to be the only solution that incorporates all of their existing storage resources and allows the VSB to non-disruptively add capacity -- from any of their favorite suppliers -- when needed. The host, storage and vendor-independent architecture also gives VSB the flexibility to leverage emerging technologies, without locking the Board into any one model of storage equipment.

As an enterprise-class solution, SANsymphony software offers robust, cost-effective data protection with complete redundancy and automated capacity allocation, freeing system administrators from time-consuming maintenance.

"Organizations are looking for ways to do more with less and extend the life of existing IT investments," said John Perring, senior director for Canadian operations at DataCore. "SANsymphony software, coupled with world-class hardware from trusted providers like IBM, fulfills this need with a comprehensive solution that sets the standard for affordable, flexible and robust data storage management."

About DataCore Software

DataCore Software Corporation's award-winning software automates and consolidates storage management for enterprise customers worldwide, significantly reducing their costs and increasing the return on investment from information technology assets. The company's SANsymphony software sets the standard for open storage networking platforms, supporting all major brands of disk arrays and operating systems. It is available and supported through major OEMs, system integrators and resellers. DataCore is privately held with corporate headquarters in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. For international office locations and more information, call 877-780-5111 or visit www.datacore.com.

Contact: DataCore Software Corporation, Jan Jahosky, 407-331-4699, jan.jahosky@datacore.com.