DiData, EMC partner on Cisco deal

Storage partners EMC and Dimension Data have deployed a Cisco SAN solution for Brisbane-based glass and alumininium maker and contractor, G James Glass & Aluminium.

The new SAN was expected to cut costs and improve information management for the corporation, which boasts 2100 staff in 20 locations across Asia.

G James had been growing strongly in the past few years, putting greater strain on its traditional data management and storage systems, Cisco said in a statement.

David Moy, technical services manager at G James, said storage of data using legacy systems had become unmanageable.

"There was too much storage, attached to too many systems, which was a strain on resources. We also had a challenge in terms of the growing complexity of the business and the impact that was having on the storage systems," Moy said.

He said G James had worked with system integrator Dimension Data to deploy a SAN using fibre channel and iSCSI for ad hoc access to the SAN.

The SAN offering used Cisco's MDS 9216 Multilayer Fabric Switch to control the flow of data among the servers and storage devices in G James' data centres.

SAN was expected to help G James centrally manage storage allocation across the network by to creating virtual SANs and provide full data replication between Brisbane and Sydney sites.

Also, faster access to data on EMC CLARiiON boxes was expected to cut operational costs, Cisco said.
G James wanted to reduce overall total cost of ownership and network efficiency, Cisco said.

G James core Cisco switched data network, deployed and managed by Dimension Data, was used by 700 users across four countries and four Australian states, the company said.