EMC Tackles Big Need for Small Business Storage

Up until now, EMC had only dipped its enterprise-sized toe into the turbulent waters of the SMB market, but now, the company’s taken the plunge. EMC recently introduced Making Storage Simple, a strategy that harnesses new solutions, channels and partnerships for small- and medium-sized businesses.

The idea for the program came after extensive research conducted by EMC in which the company learned that SMBs are consuming storage gear and services at twice the rate of large enterprises, to the tune of a $22 billion market.

“Customers need to buy systems that can handle the information growth and compliance obligations that have cropped up without absorbing too much of their fixed budgets,” said Mike Wytenus, senior director at EMC.

That’s where Making Storage Simple strategy comes in, with special software packages and broader use of channel partners and other alliances to better meet the needs of small business customers.

The new solutions &#151 EMC describes them under the heading Express Solutions &#151 cover networked storage, backup and recovery, business protection and archiving. To get these solutions out into the market, EMC is relying on its new One Velocity channel partner program, which helps members become certified for new product capabilities.

EMC has bolstered alliance partnerships with Cisco, Intel and Microsoft, hoping to learn how those companies have successfully have navigated through the SMB space. EMC will use Cisco switches and Catalyst routers to deliver networked storage and backup and recovery products.

EMC joins Intel to combine server and storage solutions through the Intel Enterprise Server Acceleration Alliance. Microsoft and EMC are collaborating on the EMC Express e-mail package.

HP’s Simply StorageWorks
No stranger to small business needs, HPs Simply StorageWorks program is designed to help SMBs pick the right storage solution for their particular situation by providing education, services, tools and guidance.

HP says that educating customers about the company’s various network storage products helps them increase productivity, lower cost and decrease the risk of lost data.

The program breaks network storage solutions into three components: MyFirstSAN, Easy as NAS and Ultimate Business Protection.

• MyFirstSAN: An educational program that explains what a SAN is, its benefits and the hardware components that goes into a SAN
• Easy As NAS: Discusses how NAS can work in conjunction with SAN
• Ultimate Business Protection: Products and solutions that focus on data backup and recovery. Helps customers select the right products to protect their data

Both companies aim to help SMBs quickly learn about and choose the storage solutions that are right for them, so that they can get back to running a business &#151 knowing that the company data is protected.

Adapted from Internetnews.com.