Page 1 of 2
LSI, long a provider of storage components for OEM vendors, is moving to support custom system builders with a new family of configurable storage products.
LSI this week unveiled the CTS2600 family of enclosures and controllers that allow custom system builders to build storage appliances featuring combinations of 6-Gbit SAS, Gbit Ethernet iSCSI, and 8-Gbit Fibre Channel connectivity.
LSI is already the primary provider of entry-level and midrange storage systems to OEM partners such as IBM, and is now targeting its technology at custom systems builders in order to expand its market opportunities, said Brent Blanchard, director of storage solution channel sales for the company.
LSI anticipates no channel conflicts with its OEM partners for a couple of reasons, Blanchard said.
For instance, for its new CTS2600 line of storage products, LSI is taking a modular approach by providing a control module which is separate from the storage modules, Blanchard said. OEM customers, on the other hand, work with LSI's single-chassis solutions, he said.
"We continue to have our OEM focus," he said. "We're not going to pull back from our OEM business. We want to expand our business with the channel. Our message is, it's not about channel conflict. It's about market expansion."
LSI will also focus on the entry-level storage market, and has no plans to bring higher-end enclosures to its system builder partners, he said.
"However, we will help partners with support," he said. "We will leverage the same support we offer OEMs, and leverage our existing sales force in the channel."
The CTS2600 line includes a controller module with two SAS connectors plus a choice of 8-Gbit Fibre Channel, iSCSI, or additional SAS connectors.
Also included are 2U rack-mount storage enclosures with 6-Gbit SAS connectivity on the back end which can be configured with either 24 2.5-inch or 12 3.5-inch hard drives or SSDs.
The CTS2600 family is compatible with the Storage Bridge Bay specification which specifies how storage controller modules and storage enclosures connect to each other.
Next: Moving To The Channel
