EMC bundles virtualisation tools under Ionix brand

EMC has unveiled a suite of management software that it claims will help customers accelerate the move from physical to virtual IT infrastructures.

The Ionix software combines compliance and configuration capabilities acquired with EMC's acquisition of Configuresoft in May, along with technologies assembled through its purchases of Smarts, nLayers, Voyence, Infra and ControlCenter, the company said in a statement.

The announcement also marks the end of EMC's integration of Configuresoft with the rest of the business.

"Today's announcement comes at a critical time for customers who are moving aggressively to virtualise their datacentres," said Chris Gahagan, senior vice president for Ionix at EMC, who has been working with EMC's storage management solutions for around seven years. Previously he was in charge of EMC's storage management elements.

"While virtualisation holds the promise of increased efficiencies and reduced costs, its dynamic nature forces companies to think differently about management."

EMC explained that IT departments tended to manage virtual infrastructures by integrating a number of different solutions, but that Ionix allows them to discover, map and monitor the IT infrastructure through an end-to-end view from one console.

An Ionix module called Service Discovery and Mapping provides visibility into the physical and virtual dependencies of a company's applications, helping to accurately map servers and applications prior to datacentre moves or consolidations.

Ionix for IT Operations Intelligence, meanwhile, monitors services across physical and virtual environments to provide automated root-cause and impact assessment.

Finally, Ionix for Service Management will enable customers to rapidly deploy scalable and cost-effective IT Infrastructure Library service management, the firm said.