Onaro looks to bridge app-storage gap

Seeking to aid enterprises in their ongoing struggle to better align storage resources with application requirements, Onaro today released an upgrade to its SANscreen Application Insight product.

The new iteration, Version 2.0, combines storage utilization data with path awareness in an attempt to lend administrators greater visibility into overall storage network health, according to the company.

One of three products comprising the company's SANscreen SRM (storage resource management) suite, Application Insight captures storage port data across the infrastructure in real time. This data, when combined with the automated topology-discovery capabilities of Onaro's SANscreen Foundation, enables administrators to monitor host path performance and discover bottlenecks in the data flow.

"Because we're collecting data all the time on all the different devices in the storage environment, Application Insight can show you exactly how the load is distributed at any given time," said Bryan Semple, vice president of marketing at Onaro. "So when it comes time to add another host to your network, you'll know exactly where it is needed, thereby helping you get the most of -- and in some cases, defer -- capital expenditures."

Application Insight's console allows administrators to drill down through various storage utilization metrics, giving quick access to data regarding the health of particular hosts, paths, and devices. Aggregated over time, this data can also aid in discovering infrequently used devices, enabling administrators to earmark candidates for migration, thereby facilitating future tiering decisions, Semple said.

Onaro's SANscreen suite also includes SANscreen Replication Insight for validating the recoverability of stored data.

Each of the SANscreen components is available separately. Pricing for SANscreen Application Insight 2.0 is $70 per port.