EXPO SCORES A HIT
EXPO SCORES A HIT
From STORAGE Magazine
Vol 7, Issue 8 - November/December 2007
Storage Expo 2007 was a showcase for the latest developments in data
storage - and it hit the mark with visitors and exhibitors alike
The recent Storage Expo 2007 at Olympia, London, was a hotbed of discussions
on many major issues that today's businesses have to contend with - with topics
embracing consolidation, business continuity, 'green' IT, virtualisation,
compliance and managing information all competing for centre stage. There was an
impressively healthy total of 4,390 visitors (pre-ABC audit figures) to the
event where 147 exhibitors had gathered to spotlight their latest solutions and
technology - and it gave a real buzz to the event.
Apart from the comprehensive programme of seminars and education programme,
which drew strong crowds, there was a vast array of solutions throughout the
hall for visitors to get to grips with. Overland Storage, for example, gave the
first UK demonstration of the REO 4500 (disk-based backup, recovery and VTL
appliance for SMEs) and ULTAMUS RAID 4800 (a new RAID storage solution to help
SMEs manage data growth). Visitors to the stand were able to learn more about
LTO4 tape drive technology, now available on Overland's NEO Series and ARCvault
families of tape automation.
For NCE, the exhibition represented a great opportunity for visitors to meet
with the company and its partners - to see a cross-section of the various tape,
disk and other storage products that it incorporates in its solutions.
Meanwhile Overland Storage gave the first UK demonstration of the REO 4500
(disk-based backup, recovery and VTL appliance for SMEs) and ULTAMUS RAID 4800
(a new RAID storage solution to help SMEs manage data growth). Visitors to the
stand were able to learn more about LTO4 tape drive technology, now available on
Overland's NEO Series and ARCvault families of tape automation. Meanwhile
Adaptec gave the first public demonstration of high-availability Serial Attached
SCSI (SAS) with dual-path failover at its booth during the show. The
demonstration featured an eight-port SATA/SAS Unified Serial PCIe RAID
controller from Adaptec in a Super Micro chassis, SAS hard disk drives from
Seagate and a 16-bay SAS backplane enclosure from AIC. The SAS drives were
connected via two SAS wide links from the Adaptec 3085 RAID controller to the
AIC JBOD enclosure, which itself provided two redundant paths to the drives.
The show also represented an important opportunity for many vendors to reinforce
their commitment to 'going green' and the need for the industry to be
increasingly eco-conscious.
Certainly, from the desktop to the data centre, it is increasingly being
recognised that there are a myriad of ways in which organisations can reduce
their carbon burden and the Green IT Zone at Storage Expo, supported by The
Green Technology Initiative, enabled visitors to hear from some of the world's
leading data storage companies - all promoting genuine solutions to help them
show significant carbon reduction. Those attending the expo were able to hear
talks from leading authorities on ways in which this can be achieved - and to
consult with technical experts on the best way to reduce carbon impact.
With more than 15 storage vendors as members, The Green Technology Initiative's
scope of work spanned all shared storage technologies, including disk and tape
systems, server connectivity, storage appliances, fabrics and other storage
network infrastructure, file services, and storage applications.
The initiative's activities will include the development of tutorials and
educational material, white papers and best practices for energy-efficient data
centre storage operations. It will also act as the SNIA liaison to other allied
organisations, such as the Green Grid Consortium and the EPA, to collaborate on
the development of more environmentally friendly data centre solutions.
As to how well the show was received, Nigel Ghent, marketing director, EMC, was
very positive. "Storage Expo 2007 again tapped into the priority issues around
not just the world of storage, but the wider world of managing business
information, providing the ideal format for businesses to meet the industry's
key players."
Steven Watson, StorageWorks marketing manager - Hewlett Packard, was equally
enthusiastic. "The show has been great this year, from our location to the high
volume of visitors. We have had the same amount of visitors in one day as we did
in the two days last year. It has also been good to make some great contacts
with other companies who are exhibiting at the show,"
And Steve Murphy, UK managing director, Hitachi Data Systems, confirms that
Storage Expo has always been seen as a worthwhile show in the industry calendar.
"As a company, we found this year's event to be invaluable for
relationship-building with potential customers. The quality and relevance of the
sessions, along with the calibre of attendees, will ensure our continued
association with Storage Expo."
Comments Claire Sellick, event director for Storage Expo: "Storage Expo is truly
positioned as the leading data storage event in the UK. It is now the largest,
dedicated storage exhibition in Europe, with 2,500 metres of exhibition space.
From speaking to both visitors and exhibitors, it is clear that people who come
to the show have a clear idea of what their organisations' current business
requirements are, and use the show to compare and source the best solutions that
are compatible with their IT strategy and IT infrastructure.
“The mix of technology, solutions and services on offer at the show, combined
with an outstanding education programme, has enabled visitors to discover how to
resolve their data storage issues at one event."
Storage Expo 2008 takes place from 15-16 October 2008 at the National Hall,
Olympia, London, UK. For more information, visit
www.storage-expo.com
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