Melbourne IT dumps IBM storage for EMC

Melbourne IT will be replacing its entire IBM storage platform with EMC systems in the coming months.

The transition is expected to be completed by mid-2010, and builds on an existing relationship between the Internet company and storage vendor EMC.

When Melbourne IT purchased 261 terabytes of EMC storage last October, CTO Glen Gore said the company would remain committed to its IBM storage platform.

However, Gore said today that the company had now struck an agreement with EMC that would provide more capacity, lower power consumption, and a more resilient, scalable system for the same cost.

"We are phasing out our IBM storage systems and replacing them with EMC systems," he told iTnews.

Last May, Melbourne IT customers experienced a lengthy service outage that was blamed on a faulty IBM storage area network (SAN) controller.

Twenty percent of customer churn was blamed on service outages in 2009, investors heard today.

Gore said: "although the decision is linked to those outages, the main reason is commercial."

"The cost per gig is lower, going across," he said. "Given what we were spending on storage and what EMC had to offer, we'd be getting a much better platform."

Melbourne IT will be deploying products from EMC's Clarion CX4 range, as well as storage management software from the vendor.

Gore said the company is also trialling other products that EMC plans to release later this year, but was unable to disclose details.

Although it will no longer use IBM storage systems, Melbourne IT will continue using IBM servers until a review in mid-2010.

IBM was contacted by iTnews but a spokesperson could not be reached for comment.