The midrange InServ E200 Storage Server comes complete with the same software as the S400 and S800 InServ Storage Servers, including capabilities like rapid provisioning, dynamic optimization, thin provisioning, virtual copy and remote copy.

The hardware, however, supports less controllers and drives. While the S400 scales up to four controllers, eight iSCSI host ports and more than 1,200 drives, and the S800 scales up to eight controllers, 16 iSCSI host ports and more than 2,500 drives, the E200 tops out at two controllers, four iSCSI host ports and 128 disk drives.

The smaller hardware footprint will allow enterprises with remote offices and replicated sites, as well as stand-alone midrange customers, to more easily afford a storage server with S-class capabilities, said Craig Nunes, vice president of marketing at the Fremont, Calif., company.

Resource Library:

"Instead of spending maybe $110,000 to $120,000 for a S400, the E200 runs around $60,000, but gives you everything you would have gotten with the S-class," he said.

"For example, each of the two controllers is active on each volume in the system—something you usually don't find on an active-passive midrange platform."

Introducing a midrange storage controller was a natural move for 3PAR, Nunes said, because its enterprise customers have had to make do with either more storage server than they needed, or have had to go elsewhere, he said.

"We found that even the most data-intensive businesses have needs for more mid-sized platforms in certain places, like branches," he said.

Click here to read more about 3PAR's server storage offerings.

"Before this, they would have had to deploy the S400, but frankly, there was a lot of midrange business we simply couldn't get to with that product."

Bringing 3PAR's feature-rich storage system to the midrange is a good move for the company, said Tony Asaro, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group of Milford, Mass.

Taking a product with the rich set of features, including its industry-leading thin provisioning—is a compelling move, he said.

"The combination of having a high-end and midrange solution is interesting," he said. "Only the leading storage vendors have this story, and most, if not all, have different product families supporting high-end and midrange. 3PAR [now] has a universal solution."

Pricing for an InServ E200 Storage Server with 2.3TB of capacity and the InForm Operating Suite, which includes 3PAR Rapid Provisioning, Access Guard and Full Copy software), starts at less than $65,000.

Check out eWEEK.com's for the latest news, reviews and analysis on enterprise and small business storage hardware and software.