Storage infrastructure maker CA on Jan. 23 introduced a new version of its BrightStor Storage Resource Manager, which extends its centralized management, automated monitoring and reporting functions to business information stored in IBM Lotus Domino and DB2 UDB.

BrightStor SRM r11.6 already supports Microsoft Exchange Server.

The new release protects both e-mail and application data in these environments, preventing downtime and streamlining management of the storage infrastructure, a company spokesperson said.

BrightStor SRM r11.6 also features extended reporting capabilities that enable system administrators to more closely align storage capacity and data protection with business needs, the spokesperson said.

The new release also contains a GAM (generic application modeler), which serves as a kind of wild card to enable CA and/or the customer to fine-tune applications to make them more available and secure within the infrastructure.

"We need simple, efficient tools that will help us provide our customers with highly reliable services," Tyler Roye, president and CEO for Invision.com, a managed service provider in New York City that has been using BrightStor for several months, told eWEEK.

"We, as a managed service provider, were particularly interested in the generic application modeler. It is important for us because it enables us to look deeper at the list of things we can now offer our own customers. It is a great value-add for us," Roye said.

With the addition of IBM Lotus and DB2 UDB support, CA's BrightStor SRM fulfills this need across a broader spectrum of information assets, making it easier and less expensive to implement the data protection and availability necessary to meet aggressive SLAs, Roye said.

CA said the new version of BrightStor SRM simplifies management of complex enterprise storage environments, and makes the best use of storage resources for data protection and application availability, the spokesperson said.

Resource Library:

Click here to read about CA's purchase of disaster recovery specialist XOSoft.

Its policy automation capabilities generate alerts that allow storage managers to take immediate action when storage space is running low, when it is allocated ineffectively, or when information needs to be backed up.

"IT organizations are simultaneously facing increased demand for data protection and availability while coping with tighter budgets," said Stefan Kochishan, director of storage product marketing at CA.

"CA BrightStor SRM addresses this challenge by providing a 'single pane of glass' through which storage assets across the enterprise can be appropriately monitored, managed and allocated."

CA is demonstrating BrightStor SRM r11.6 this week at Lotusphere 2007 in Orlando, Fla.

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