iStor Networks announced that it has started shipping its new management interface, integraSuite/MC Management Center.

integraSuite provides smart and simple setup, storage provisioning and allocation. The intuitive interface requires no storage expertise freeing the network administrator to focus on user needs. iStor's storage virtualization technology eliminates the requirement for managing individual RAID groups and their LUN configurations. Instead, integraSuite presents a pool of storage that is easily carved up into individual customized volumes, reducing administrative, support, and other operational costs. Operational costs influence total cost of ownership more significantly than acquisition costs, and can be reduced by easing the management and administration of storage, and by sharing storage and increasing its utilization -- two key integraSuite features.

"Many enterprise organizations grasp the benefits of server virtualization, but they also need storage solutions that can support the dynamic, mixed workload environments enabled by server virtualization," said Brad Nisbet, Program Manager, Storage Systems, IDC. "Virtualized storage solutions like iStor's integraSuite that allow administrators to abstract logical storage from physical storage will make it possible for organizations to realize the full potential of a virtualized IT environment."

iStor's virtualized storage supports multiple RAID levels across drives, allowing the storage Quality of Service level to be tailored to each individual application, a key benefit in the mixed workload environments created by virtualized servers. integraSuite facilitates flexible storage configurations by managing integraStor's powerful storage virtualization engine which can fully utilize all drive capacity in a pool of mixed drive configurations. When new larger disk drives are added to a system with older, smaller capacity drives, the newer larger capacity can be fully utilized. It's just as easy to grow volumes and migrate RAID levels on the fly during disk I/O with just a few mouse clicks.

"The product is easy to install, configure and maintain, and we are also very impressed with the high levels of service and support we've received from both the iStor support team and our partner Arbitech," said Darren Spencer, President, ATG-UT.

"The integraSuite Management Center was developed from extensive user feedback with the goal of minimizing the time users spend allocating and managing their storage while increasing their storage efficiency," said Robert Friend, Director of Product Marketing, iStor Networks. "iStor's unique virtualized storage functionality further enhances the customer experience with usability features not available with traditional architectures."