In the past, the normal approach would be to rely solely on data management software vendors, but increasingly storage vendors are adding functions to safeguard data.

Within the past year, EMC added and enhanced compliance features for its Centera Compliance Edition line. For instance, EMC recently added the ability to enforce or change retention policies for an entire class of stored data (e.g., PDF files or medical images) instead of managing each piece of content individually. And it added a feature that lets managers set a default retention date for data generated by applications that do not provide this function.

In August, Quantum added technology called DLTIce to its line of widely used SDLT 600 drives and tape cartridges. The technology imparts write-once, read-many (WORM) features to the tapes. The new WORM function, when combined with Quantum's DLTSage tape management tools, and data management software can ensure that data stored on tape cartridges meet regulatory requirements.

During the summer, HP introduced the HP StorageWorks Reference Information Storage System (RISS), which includes data protection and security features to ensure that data are handled in a manner that meets regulatory compliance requirements.

These offerings add to existing storage products from IBM, Permabit, and Network Appliance that also include compliance-related features.

Back to New Styles in Storage Architecture