Press Releases

3PAR Introduces Dynamic Optimization of Data Service Levels

Breakthrough Utility Storage Software a First for Modular, Enterprise-Class Arrays

FREMONT, CA, U.S. — May 16, 2005

3PAR®, the leading provider of Utility Storage, announced today the availability of 3PAR Dynamic Optimization, the first software solution to offer single-command, online and non-disruptive service level optimization within a cost-effective, modular, enterprise-class array. With this powerful new capability, customers can now cost-effectively optimize service levels across all stages of the disk-based data lifecycle.

3PAR Dynamic Optimization enables administrators to convert a data volume from one service level to another in seconds—online and non-disruptively—within the same 3PAR InServ Storage Server, a massively scalable tiered-storage array. 3PAR Dynamic Optimization enables service level changes for live data volumes to be done simply and flexibly from a shared storage pool. Customers are now free to optimize storage assets on demand, thereby achieving the greatest possible financial savings. Since optimization approaches based on data-migration are prohibitively time-consuming and complex, IT organizations are often forced to choose between over-provisioning to assure service levels or tolerating sub-optimal service levels in order to improve storage utilization. With 3PAR Dynamic Optimization, organizations never have to compromise again.

With 3PAR Dynamic Optimization, users can adjust the following service level parameters a single command:

RAID Type--Convert between RAID 10 and RAID 50 with 2 to 8 + 1 data-to-parity ratio as needed.
Degree of Resource Utilization—Choose between massively-parallel or finely-restricted use of ports, cache, processors, loops and spindles.
Radial Placement—Select data placement on inner or outer tracks of disk platters.
Drive Type—Move data between high performance or high capacity enterprise-class Fibre Channel drives or economical ATA-class drives.

"3PAR Dynamic Optimization means we can optimize storage service levels on demand," said Mark Douglas, Vice President of Technology at eHarmony. "This is a far cry from the limitations and complexity required by other optimization approaches that rely on data migration. With Dynamic Optimization, there is no guesswork. Our applications are not impacted and our business runs with greater efficiency."

3PAR Dynamic Optimization is a tool for delivering required data service levels for the lowest possible cost throughout the data and business process lifecycle. Dynamic Optimization addresses a new set of business needs including:

Proactively addressing data service levels during peak business demand. For instance, customers can deploy a volume with RAID 50 during off-peak periods. During busy peak periods, they can simply and dynamically change the service level to RAID 10 for increased performance and then easily convert the volume back to RAID 50 when the increased demand subsides. Example peak periods include quarter-end, the holiday shopping season and high-volume market trading days.
Meeting service level or SLA change orders on demand. For example, a service provider can instantly implement a request to upgrade from "silver" to "gold" service levels for an individual customer.
Managing changes in the value of data, or the overall processing demands of an application, over its lifecycle. As an example, application data can be converted to a lower service level and lower cost storage tiers over time as demands drop. The same data can often be stored for one-fifth the cost later in its lifecycle versus when it is initially provisioned.
Recapturing allocated storage capacity on demand to accommodate rapid or unexpected application growth. For example, moving 10 useable terabytes from RAID 10 protection to RAID 50 can create an additional 7.5 usable terabytes that are immediately available for a new project.

"3PAR Dynamic Optimization is the freedom to change our minds anytime," said Paul Osterhus, Vice President of Data Center Services at CNET Networks. "With Dynamic Optimization, we have a new set of capabilities that let us adjust to business needs in real time. 3PAR's simplicity makes it possible."

Until now, the difficulty of moving data within or between arrays, simply and non-disruptively, has been the greatest inhibitor preventing administrators from delivering optimal data service levels for the lowest possible cost. For instance, the migration of a storage volume is a performance intensive activity, and on traditional storage arrays this often interferes with the performance of the online business applications. This negative impact prohibits companies from escaping costly and sub-optimal service levels.

Other problems preventing wider adoption of service level optimization techniques include significant investments of both time and additional equipment. Upfront planning and provisioning is required for each scheduled migration activity. Incremental fabric, host or array-based migration facilities must be purchased and managed. And the procurement, training and management of multiple storage platforms—each dedicated to a single class of service—must be justified.

"3PAR was the first with true Thin Provisioning, which has quickly become a must have in shops requiring utility capabilities," said Steve Duplessie, Founder and Senior Analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group. "Now they raise the bar further by offering Dynamic Optimization—the first real quality of service functions I've seen in a modular, enterprise-class array."

"In combination, Thin Provisioning and Dynamic Optimization reinforce the position of 3PAR Utility Storage as offering the most simple, efficient and flexible provisioning in the storage industry," said David Scott, President and CEO of 3PAR. "Our goal is to make IT groups look like heroes to the customers and business units they support, while saving their organizations a lot of money." 3PAR Dynamic Optimization is available immediately and is priced under $10,000 for an entry system.

About 3PAR
3PAR® (NYSE Arca: PAR) is the leading global provider of utility storage, a category of highly virtualized, tightly-clustered, and dynamically-tiered storage arrays built for utility computing. Organizations use utility computing to build cost-effective virtualized IT infrastructures for flexible workload consolidation. 3PAR Utility Storage gives customers an alternative to traditional arrays by delivering resilient infrastructure with increased agility at a lower total cost to meet their rapidly changing business needs. As a pioneer of thin provisioning — a green technology developed to address storage underutilization and inefficiencies — 3PAR offers products designed to minimize power consumption and promote environmental responsibility. With 3PAR, customers have reduced the costs of allocated storage capacity, administration, and SAN infrastructure while increasing adaptability and resiliency. 3PAR Utility Storage is built to meet the demands of open systems consolidation, integrated data lifecycle management, and performance-intensive applications.