HP Expands Desktop, Enterprise Storage Lines

Hewlett-Packard yesterday flooded the red-hot storagemarket, seeking to maintain technical parity with its hard- charging competitors. HP unveiled a series of modular tape libraries, its first-ever hard-disk-based network-attached storage appliances, and new management software that will improve the data recovery process. All of the products will be available Nov. 1.

HP's expanded storage lineup includes a magneto-optical jukebox, the HP SureStore 125ex. The company says the electronic document archiving and storage system has 50% more capacity than its SureStore 80ex line, but at the same price--$7,990 for a single-drive system. HP also introduced DLT tape libraries built on an architecture that can scale, allowing customers to buy more capacity as needed. The company will also provide automated management software for the recovery of data and the operating system.

HP added hard-disk products to its NAS line. The single-task HP SureStore HD Server 4000 products, designed for disparate workgroups, connect directly to Ethernet LANs, allowing systems managers to provide storage outside of a file server. With capacity ranging from 18 Gbytes to 90 Gbytes of RAID 5 Storage, the appliances feature integrated backup and 15-minute installation, and can be managed remotely from anywhere on the network with HP Server Admin. Prices range from $5,000 to $8,900, depending on capacity.

In the area of NAS in particular, HP expects simplicity to prevail. "It's early, so IS executives still want to install [NAS devices] inside the data center," says Mike Matson, VP and general manager of HP's network storage group. "But eventually, users will install them the way they do printers today."