The new EMC CLARiiON AX100 storage systems, based on the S-ATA technology, enable the optimisation of storage infrastructure costs.

The integration of these new storage systems, now available on the entire Escala server range, was completed in co-ordination with EMC's R&D teams. This integration demonstrates Bull's technological competence in the AIX server domain, as well as in the storage field.

Bull's objective is to allow its customers to increase consistency between their storage infrastructures and the lifecycle management of their information, thus reinforcing productivity as well as data security. With a complete set of tested industrial solutions, Bull allows its customers to optimise their storage infrastructure, depending on the sensitivity level of their data and the service level required.

Bull's services and products are particularly strong in the areas of disaster recovery and high availability solutions.

In the storage infrastructure area, Bull offers the following solutions:

• Real-time solutions for high availability, such as Bull's Application Roll-over Facility (ARF) solution for Bull Escala server clusters, making immediate and automatic fault recovery possible without impacting the users

Multi-platform disaster recovery solutions, including recovery time optimisation, even in the case of major failures

• Replicated solutions for secure back-ups (Bull OpenSave)
• Solutions for networked storage administration (Bull SAN@IT)

"The EMC CLARiiON AX100 system running on AIX makes new levels of productivity, performance and reliability possible for Bull's customers at a particularly competitive price", declared Torsten Svensson, EMC, European, Middle-East and African Sales Director. "Bull's experience in complex infrastructure environments that integrate storage systems, enterprise servers and mission critical applications is an unmatched asset, especially in the implementation of EMC CLARiiON storage solutions", summarized M. Svensson.

"Porting AX100 onto AIX demonstrated Bull's expertise in storage, and the strength of the partnership between Bull and EMC. With this solution, Bull's customers have competitive and high-performance storage systems at their disposal. They provide large productivity improvements, thus contributing to rationalisation of customers' storage infrastructures", stated André Hélie-Joly, Escala Business Unit Director.

Bull and EMC have been working together for over ten years on the design and supply of storage infrastructure, regularly renewing their offers based on EMC Symmetrix and CLARiiON subsystems. By making full use of the skills available in its dedicated competence centres, and through its extensive distribution network, Bull has developed a line of high-level services for storage infrastructure, including audits, design, and implementation.

AX100 on AIX will be available for Bull Escala servers starting from September 2004. AX100 in mono controller version, with 250 GB S-ATA Disk costs 7400 Euros.