Virtualization News Desk
Alternative Technology Extends Storage and Server Virtualization Solutions to the Channel for SMB and Remote Office Environments
Server Virtualization News
Mar. 17, 2008 01:45 PM
Alternative Technology announced the availability of four
Virtualization Solution Kits, specifically packaged for the small and medium
business (SMB) and remote and branch office environments.
The Virtualization Solution Kits combine LeftHands’ Virtual
SAN Appliance and VMware Infrastructure Acceleration Kits to deliver the robust
benefits of server and storage virtualization – including high availability,
scalability, and shared storage without requiring SAN hardware. These solution
kits make complete virtual infrastructure solutions affordable for SMB and remote
and branch office environments.
SMBs don't traditionally have the resources or IT skills to
manage complex data storage environments, so they rely more on solution
providers for complete solutions. The Virtualization Solution Kits are
prepackaged, so providers can offer even lower cost, easier to deploy solutions
that take advantage of the benefits of enterprise-class virtualization. The
Virtualization Solution Kits enable SMB and remote office customers to optimize
technology assets, reduce operational costs, and simplify IT asset management
and administration operations, using a single hardware platform for server
virtualization and shared storage.
Customers realize tremendous benefits from server
virtualization. However, this new architecture increases the need for a more
highly available IT infrastructure, and this traditionally requires an
investment in physical shared storage. LeftHand Networks’ VSA provides a
cost-effective shared storage solution via a redundant SAN with automated
failover. The combination of the VSA and VMware Infrastructure Acceleration
Kits provides an automated, high-availability solution for both application
servers and storage with “failover” and “failback” between physical servers.
“The Virtualization Solution Kits consisting of products
from LeftHand Networks and VMware open up a growing SMB and remote office
market opportunity for our solution providers,” said Tom Zorn, executive vice
president, Alternative Technology. “With the various Virtualization Solution
Kit options, SMB customers can purchase the kit that best meets their
high-availability requirements today, in cost-effective easy-to-install
packages. And, as their business needs evolve and grow, both VMware and
LeftHand have upgrade paths into more robust virtualization and iSCSI SAN
solutions,” said Zorn.
“Alternative Technology brings significant channel and
market reach and a strong reputation for providing leading solutions to the
server virtualization market," said David Bangs, vice president of sales
at LeftHand Networks. “With LeftHand Networks’ highly available physical and
virtual SAN solutions, Alternative Technology offers leading-edge technologies
to help SMB and remote office customers to reap the full benefits associated
with VMware virtualization. We look forward to working with Alternative
Technology to drive new opportunities and to bring these solutions to the SMB
and remote office markets.”
The relationship with Alternative Technology extends
LeftHand Networks’ distribution in North America,
and brings additional value to LeftHand Networks’ resellers through Alternative
Technology’s focused product offering, advanced technical services and
top-notch sales support. As a subsidiary of Arrow Electronics, Alternative
Technology connects LeftHand Networks’ resellers with complementary
enterprise-class storage products through Arrow’s Enterprise Computing
Solutions (ECS) unit, including: HP, IBM, Sun Microsystems, Network Appliance,
EMC and Hitachi Data Systems.
About Virtualization News DeskSYS-CON's Virtualization News Desk trawls the news sources of the world for the latest details of virtualization technologies, products, and market trends, and provides breaking news updates from the Virtualization Conference & Expo.