TrueSAN Platform Integrates Spate Of Storage Apps

The new application, called Cloudbreak, combines virtualization, storage network and device management, storage resource management and business continuity technology into a single platform, said Tom Isakovich, president and CEO of TrueSAN, based here.

Cloudbreak comes bundled with two preconfigured, 1U rack-mounted Intel servers for redundancy and manages storage products regardless of the vendor, Isakovich said.

Derek Gamradt, vice president of engineering and CTO at StorNet, an Englewood, Colo.-based solution provider, said he agrees fully with TrueSAN's preconfigured server approach to virtualization, even though he has yet to see the beta version of Cloudbreak. Many new virtualization applications coming to market require solution providers to add a server, which can lead to extra integration work, Gamradt said.

"The appliance approach makes customers more at ease," he said.

Under that approach, vendors also can enter two-tier distribution with a single SKU, Gamradt said. "I've requested all my virtual storage suppliers to do it this way."

Because Cloudbreak integrates many different applications, it can take the place of six or seven stand-alone software packages, Isakovich said. Because the applications are modular, customers can turn off any part of Cloudbreak if they have another application they prefer to keep.

Cloudbreak is slated to go into beta this quarter and to be released in mid-2002. Pricing has yet to be determined, Isakovich said, but he expects the application to be priced at about $300,000 to $400,000 for managing 10 Tbytes of data, excluding maintenance contracts.

TrueSAN wants to drive 75 percent of its sales through solution providers or OEMs, especially those working with clients interested in midrange SANs, Isakovich said.