PoINT Storage Manager, by which a tiered storage architecture can be implemented, now supports the hybrid storage solution StrongBox of Crossroads in the archive tier.

PoINT Software & Systems GmbH and Crossroads Systems GmbH announced their technology partnership. The software solution PoINT Storage Manager, by which a tiered storage architecture can be implemented, now supports also the hybrid storage solution StrongBox of Crossroads in the archive tier. Thus inactive data, which does not have to be accessed permanently, can be migrated by policies from the expensive primary storage to the StrongBox. At anytime the data can be accessed through the performance tier. PoINT Software & Systems plans furthermore to support the StrongBox also within the capacity tier.

PoINT Storage Manager is a software solution realizing a tiered storage architecture by a policy-based data management with automated and transparent file migration and migration between different tiers. Therefore inactive data - which are generally up to 80% of the total data volume – are migrated according to policies from the expensive primary storage within the performance tier to the cost-effective secondary storage within the capacity respectively archive tier. Though PoINT Storage Manager now also supports the StrongBox within the archive tier and in future also within the capacity tier. As hybrid storage solution the StrongBox combines the advantages of disk storage with the effective linear tape file system (LTFS) tape storage for a reliable and cost-effective long-term archiving of data in a tiered storage environment. The data stored in the StrongBox is protected against modifications from the view of the primary storage (WORM mode). Special authentication and encryption functions of PoINT Storage Manager protect the data from unauthorized access. PoINT Storage Manager provides a transparent access within the file system of the primary storage to the data archived in the StrongBox. The archive storage migration is carried out background and thus does not affect the performance of the IT environment. Furthermore no application changes are necessary.