EMC has introduced the latest version of EMC Invista version 2.1, its flagship SAN virtualization solution. Invista is an enterprise-class, network-based storage virtualization that combines EMC application software and hardware with intelligent SAN switches from Brocade and Cisco.

The new version of Invista features higher availability for improved data protection, expanded scalability for stronger performance, and enhanced management for better utilization, all of which help organizations keep their infrastructures up and running through both planned and unplanned events. Invista has enhanced high availability through the new distributed control path cluster (CPC) which allows nodes of the CPC to be separated by campus distances, providing for Invista to continue operating in the event of localized failure. The number of virtual volumes and storage elements supported has doubled, and there is a five-fold increase in the number of simultaneous mobility sessions supported. Invista's new heterogeneous pooling and mirroring functionality provides maximum flexibility in creating tiered storage pools and supports mirrored copies across different tiers.

The latest release adds support for IBM DS4000 series arrays, HP PVLinks, and Sun MPxIO path management software and maintains its integration with EMC RecoverPoint to deliver heterogeneous virtual to physical-and virtual to virtual-replication support to enable deployment across multiple sites for disaster tolerance and enhanced availability. In addition, EMC Invista has now been tested, optimized and certified for use with VMware ESX Server 3.0.2, thus enabling organizations to improve their ability to manage, share, and protect the growing amount of information that is being supported by VMware Infrastructure environments. EMC Invista version 2.0 is now available; version 2.1, which includes heterogeneous mirroring and storage pooling, will be available later his month. Invista support for VMware ESX Server 3.0.2 is expected to be posted to the VMware SAN Compatibility Guide before the end of 2007.

It has been about two and a half years, give or take, since EMC originally announced the Invista platform. Given the light speed at which most IT solutions rev their release numbers and ply new features into the marketplace, it is reassuring in many respects that we are now only seeing the second major version of this platform. This is not to say that Invista has been lacking innovation or feature upgrades commensurate with the marketplace, but rather that EMC got the basic principles right the first time, and could take a more measured approach in feature support in favor of allowing end users some time to understand, consume, and realize the full potential of their Invista investment. Nevertheless, there are notable enhancements, specifically the CPC, new heterogeneous pooling and mirroring, and support for additional storage arrays, which we believe add considerably to the overall Invista value proposition. Further, the certification with the latest VMware technology should help assuage any reticence organizations may be having in leveraging the strong operational value proposition that a combined server virtualization and storage virtualization scheme can provide.

Although much of the virtualization discussion to date has focused on servers, the reality is that storage should be treated in most cases in a very similar fashion, as a virtual networked resource. As we have said before, EMC has taken the view that virtualization should occur as far down into the network as possible to take advantage of the increasing intelligence of the underlying network. In this announcement, we see that illustrated in the new support for HP PVLinks and Sun's MPxIO both of which aid in the quest to guarantee multipath I/O connectivity between servers and storage as part of the overall network solution. This also has advantages from a performance as well as a playing-nice-on-the-playground perspective. By preserving the inherent performance (value) that organizations have already deployed in multiple storage arrays and associated hardware and software technologies, EMC is not demanding that customers write off any portion of their past investments in order to gain tangible new value. This remains a pleasant thought to the IT professional who is seemingly all too often cajoled into replacing existing IT investments that still have considerable operational life simply in order to gain a desired or necessary new feature.

Overall, we remain pleased with the underlying vision and direction that Invista has taken. The consistent virtualization and reclamation of underutilized resources story is one that plays well in the acquisition cost- and operational expense-weary IT marketplace of today. Being able to seamlessly move data across multiple storage arrays with differing performance characteristics while maintaining operational integrity is a major must have for most any organization. Solutions such as Invista offer a level of operational efficiency and flexibility that is well positioned to meet this need. Virtualization provides a soothing balm for the IT professional that eases the management of disparate resources under a single view while also allowing greater flexibility in choosing solutions. For vendors, virtualization has been a hot marketing message with commensurate market opportunity, but with marketplace expectation that standards and cooperation trump vendor specific lock in.

To our way of thinking, EMC seems well positioned to continue its SAN virtualization emphasis while furthering the relevance of virtualization across storage, servers, and networking to an ever-larger segment of the IT marketplace.