Decru Appliance Helps Address Low-Cost Storage Needs

For many companies to invest in the recovery and security of stored data, lower-cost options will need to emerge. Decru Inc. is hoping to address that need with yesterday's unveiling of the iSCSI-based DataFort i115 storage appliance.

Storage over IP is a lower-cost option than most storage networks now in use, which are based on a more costly Fibre Channel protocol. ISCSI is an emerging protocol that automatically converts blocks of data into a form that won't choke the IP network.

Customers can use iSCSI to move away from lock-in direct-attached storage. Direct-attached storage interoperates with only one server, requiring a system for each server, and there's no network sharing. With iSCSI, customers can have storage networks on a ubiquitous IP network.

Decru now offers the DataFort i115 for entry-level LAN-based storage networks. During the summer, the vendor plans to ship a data-center version of DataFort for iSCSI.

The i115 will support multiple operating systems and databases. In addition to iSCSI, support is also available for network-attached storage, DAS, Fibre Channel- based storage area network storage, and tape used for long-term archiving. The entry-level i115 is priced at $9,995.

Whle iSCSI is a fledgling technology, one industry analyst believes it's beginning to penetrate the midrange market and is at least getting considered within some larger companies. "If customers have a need to store confidential data needing archiving, iSCSI is a good choice," says Jon Oltsik, an analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "DataFort will sit in the data path, encrypt the data, and house the keys needed for access."