HP introduces the new HP StoreEver Storage tape portfolio

HP today introduced the new HP StoreEver Storage tape portfolio featuring sixth-generation Linear Tape-open (LTO-6) technology that delivers twice the capacity and 44 percent faster performance than LTO-5 in the same footprint.⁽¹⁾

A fragmented approach to data retention and protection can open organisations to legal and financial risks. From a technology perspective it can also result in high costs and management complexities. Converged data centres reduce costs and complexities, but require a comprehensive approach to data protection that spans software, disk and tape technologies in order to mitigate risk.

HP StoreEver Storage, the industry’s broadest tape storage portfolio, integrates HP’s market-leading tape products and technologies⁽²⁾ with HP Converged Storage, HP Data Protector and leading third-party backup software. This seamless integration, coupled with new LTO-6 capabilities, enables HP StoreEver Storage to deliver reliable long-term data protection and retention in a format that meets the needs of nearly any environment.

“Tape storage is experiencing a resurgence as companies struggling with big data archives realise that a fragmented approach to protection and retention can result in added cost and risk,” said Craig Paul, Storage BU and Sales Manager, HP South Africa. “With HP StoreEver’s capacity and resiliency, HP’s Converged Storage portfolio delivers the industry’s most comprehensive and integrated approach to storing, optimising and protecting data, enabling clients to better simplify infrastructure and reduce costs.”

The HP StoreEver Storage portfolio supports tape media, standalone tape drives and tape libraries to accommodate more than 44 petabytes (PB) of data in a single system.⁽³⁾ HP StoreEver libraries feature removable drives and media to accommodate virtually limitless capacity, enabling clients to support the scalability requirements of their digital archives.

HP innovations on the LTO-6 standard enhance the resilience of tape

HP StoreEver Storage provides significantly improved longevity for data held offline by leveraging LTO-6 tape media cartridges that offer a shelf life of up to 30 years. To reduce the risk of media failure, HP has increased tape media durability and extended tape-head life by moving beyond the LTO-6 standard with several innovations that:

• Reduce wear and enhance performance through the use of a larger roller diameter and a dynamic tape lifter that minimises unnecessary drag.
• Improve reliability and performance with HP’s data-rate matching algorithm, which continuously adjusts the tape drive speed with the data stream coming from the host.
• Address issues proactively with HP StoreEver TapeAssure technology, which monitors tape drives, libraries and media to ensure that each element of the tape infrastructure is optimised for reliable writing and reading of data.
• Enhance media durability with HP’s proprietary fabrication process that coats the tape head with a protective layer.

Economically protect and retain rapidly growing data

At 2.5 cents per gigabyte (GB)⁽⁴⁾ and a maximum capacity of 6.25 terabytes (TB) per cartridge, HP StoreEver Storage with LTO-6 offers cost- and energy-efficient storage, making it ideal for long-term protection and archiving of business-critical data for organisations of all sizes. Client benefits include:

• Reduced energy costs via tape drives that, unlike spinning disk drives, do not need to be constantly powered on and will default into hibernation mode after short periods of inactivity.
• An up to 93 percent reduction in total cost of ownership through energy savings when used for long-term archiving compared to spinning media, which requires as much as 238 times more energy than tape.⁽⁵⁾

In fact, an independently funded study by The Clipper Group on the total cost of ownership (TCO) of long-term archiving of digital data concluded that “the cost of energy alone for the average disk-based solution exceeds the entire TCO for the average tape-based solution.”⁽⁵⁾

Making offline storage as easy to use as online storage

HP StoreOpen file system management software with Linear Tape File System (LTFS) functionality makes HP StoreEver Storage tape as easy to manage as disk, which lowers costs and improves productivity. This enables clients to:

• Improve operational agility via drag-and-drop functionality that makes it easier to locate and manage tape files.
• Reduce administration time by simplifying the distribution and exchange of files across organisations with heterogeneous platforms.
• Minimise business risk with the ability to manage disk backup to HP StoreOnce and offload data to tape directly from the backup application.
• Decrease storage management costs by controlling all disk and tape backup and replication functions through a single interface, enabled by HP StoreOnce Catalyst integration with HP Data Protector and third-party backup software.
• Reduce complexity by centralising management of libraries across the world via a single interface with HP Command View Tape Library (CV-TL).

Enhancing security of long-term data retention and protection

When paired with HP StoreOnce Backup for information protection or HP StoreAll Storage for information retention, HP StoreEver enables clients to reduce risk by placing data on offline, portable media so it is firewalled from online threats such as viruses. 

Further strengthening security, HP StoreEver Storage features both hardware-based data encryption and write once, read many (WORM) protection to prevent accidental overwrites.⁽⁶⁾

An HP StoreEver infographic about the changing role of tape is available at www.hp.com/go/storage/nextera.

HP’s premier Americas client event, HP Discover, takes place June 10-12 in Las Vegas.

Pricing and Availability⁽⁴⁾                                                                                                                              
The HP StoreEver Storage portfolio of LTO-6 tape media, tape drives and tape automation products is available now at a starting price of R34,999 for an HP StoreEver LTO-6 tape drive and R75,249 for an HP StoreEver LTO-6 tape library.

(1) When using 2.5:1 compression in combination with fundamental technology advances, LTO-6 cartridge capacity is 6.25 TB, compared to 3 TB for LTO-5; LTO-6 performance is 1.44 TB/hr, compared to 1 TB/hr for LTO-5.

(2) According to the IDC Branded Tape Tracker CQ2 2012, HP is the market share leader in units and revenue for LTO tape worldwide across individual tape drives and tape automation products.

(3) Using 2.5:1 compression and a fully populated 16 frame ESL G3 tape library.

(4) Estimated U.S. list prices. Actual prices may vary.

(5) The Clipper Group, “In Search of the Long-Term Archiving Solution—Tape Delivers Significant TCO Advantage over Disk,” David Reine and Mike Kahn, Dec. 23, 2010.

(6) Available for LTO-6 in spring 2013.