Following a similar move by Hewlett-Packard, Fujitsu Siemens Computers plans to announce a packaged storage area network (SAN) product on Thursday aimed at small and medium-size businesses.

The bundle will comprise Fujitsu Siemens’ FibreCAT SX RAID storage devices, switches from Brocade Communications Systems and host bus adapters from Emulex. It will be priced under €8,000 (US$10,566), Fujitsu Siemens said.

Business-class data protection has traditionally been expensive and difficult to deploy, so many smaller businesses have shied away from SANs. The bundled product, which customers can order under a single part number, aims to cut down on the complexity of choosing components to put together a SAN. It also aims to simplify installation and operation, Fujitsu Siemens said.

Businesses that buy the package will be able to expand their SAN as their needs change, according to the company.

The demand for greater security and compliance are driving growth in the market for SANs, Fujitsu Siemens said.

In October, HP introduced a package SAN product also aimed at smaller businesses. It includes a blade storage device, a starter kit for simplifying the set-up and operation of SANs, and a virtual tape technology for data backup and recovery. HP’s starter kit also included components from Emulex and Brocade.

-Nancy Gohring, IDG News Service (Dublin Bureau)

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