Cortex IT, Westan in storage deal

Melbourne distributor Westan has stuck an OEM storage arrangement with backup software company Cortex IT to deliver a pre-configured network attached storage (NAS) solution to the Australian channel in a deal both companies claimed was a world first.

The solution, aimed at the SME market, includes Westan Armastor storage hardware which runs on Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003 and Cortex's Backup Assist software which allowed business to implement a disk-to-disk and disk-to-tape backup infrastructure.

Backup Assist was previously only sold over the internet and the agreement with Westan marks the first time the company had shifted the software through distribution. It had been sold over the internet to customers in 42 countries, said Linus Chang, MD at Cortex IT.

He claimed the solution was unique as it doesn't have features that SMEs don't require, including multiple platform support. "Feedback in the marketplace [says] that most competitive [products] are overkill. Small businesses on Windows don't need Linux support," he said.

There were plans for other OEM arrangements in the future, he said. "We are aiming to be a major exporter and lead in this class."

Ken Anderson, director of Westan's server and storage division, said resellers could buy a typical 1TB solution for around $4000 (ex.GST). The list price on the hardware and software would be around $6500, allowing them room to earn a good whack of services margin on top.

"Resellers have the option to bundle our services or their own services," he said.

The product would be particularly suitable for companies with 10 servers or less and over the next 12 months Westan was hoping to move up to 150 units, he said.

"What we are offering Windows users is a ready to use NAS device with built-in backup for Exchange and SQL Server. The NAS device is manufactured by Westan in Mt Waverly and the backup software is written just down the road in Box Hill by Cortex IT."

There were also export opportunities in Europe and the US and Westan had already developed some contacts in these countries, Anderson said.

Chang added that with so many companies outsourcing development to India, this arrangement was a "major step forward in the fightback for Australia."

This announcement follows the recently launched Armastor iSCSI server appliance which Westan also plans to export.