News

posted on 23 July 2008 08:02

BridgeHead Software has a new product to migrate customers' data onto new storage products. It's a modification of its file archiving software and aimed at use by the channel when installing new storage appliances for customers.

The BH FileStore file archiving software is offered an easy-to-install ‘front end’ for migrating data onto a variety of intelligent storage appliances such as EMC’s Centera, ProStor Systems’ InfiniVault, Plasmon’s UDO Archive Appliance and Data Domain’s DDOS release (Data Domain Operation system).

BridgeHead Software CEO and president, Tony Cotterill, said: “There’s a growing number of intelligent storage appliances out there which help users store and manage data more efficiently, compliantly or securely. Resellers of these appliances need to give customers an easy way of migrating target data onto them and so we’ve customised BH FileStore to more effectively do the job.”

“For users the product is an alternative to having to migrate data manually to appliances or to create software to redirect their applications to write data exclusively to them. For resellers it’s a way of offering a more rounded solution to customers when selling appliances - and an additional source of revenue.” 

BH FileStore can be configured to select files from the storage attached to a network according to pre-defined policies and automatically move them onto a nominated appliance. All data is fully indexed by BH FileStore before it is moved onto an appliance. There is a web-based user interface for viewing and searching data placed in the appliance. Data is indexed and searchable by content and attribute.

Cotterill said: “One of the advantages of indexing the data before it’s moved to an appliance is that it makes it easier to identify and recover your data if in the longer term you decide to move it elsewhere. In effect you’re not locked in to a specific appliance which may suit your needs now, but may not do in years to come.”

The software can also be configured to compress and encrypt data before passing it to an appliance. Data can be validated as authentic when it is recalled by using a unique, file-specific, digital finger print. These features are targeted at resellers and customers who need to address security and regulatory compliance issues.

BridgeHead is developing a range of customised products for specific data types with launch over the coming months. BH FileStore focuses on moving unstructured file data onto appliances. BH PACStore is for specialist PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications Systems) medical image data. SharePoint and Email tailored data management products are soon to follow.

^{[Martin Edwards, news writer.]}