Pillar Data Systems, the leading provider of Application-Aware storage systems, has unveiled the Pillar Axiom 300™.

Ideally suited for small-to-medium size enterprises (SMEs), the Axiom 300 drives down infrastructure and operational costs, while reducing business risk and complexity of data storage. The Axiom 300 is exceptionally easy and quick to configure and deploy into existing storage environments. Ongoing management and maintenance are streamlined with Pillar's clean, intuitive user interface and unique Guided Maintenance functionality.

• Eighty percent disk utilisation: the highest in the industry
• Costs are reduced and utilisation rates increase when multiple applications and tiers of storage are consolidated into one single platform, while maintaining effective Quality of Service (QoS) for each
• Pre-configured and user-customisable profiles: allowing administrators to optimise the arrays for specific applications
• Thin Provisioning: increasing utilisation of storage hardware and easier provisioning with less disruption to users/applications, and when combined with QoS provides the highest utilisation rates in the industry

"For small to mid-sized customers looking to drive down infrastructure and operational costs while reducing their business risk, the Pillar Axiom 300 offers a very interesting and viable solution as it reduces storage management complexity and Application-Aware visibility within their storage systems" said Janet Waxman, vice president, hardware channels research, IDC.

Pillar channel partners selling the Axiom 300 will benefit from investment components that allow greater partner profitability, professional services enablement and joint strategic sales of the Axiom. Additionally, accredited Pillar partners that are Registered Service Providers can now provide professional services for the Axiom 300, increasing service margins and overall profitability.

Pillar Axiom 300 continues the company's leadership in Application-Aware storage by bringing additional application profiles into the Axiom management framework. The Pillar Axiom 300 also comes with additional Application-Aware Storage profiles to meet the changing demands of the data centre today and of the future, including:

• Oracle Optimisation: Pillar is the optimal storage platform for Oracle-based applications. Oracle databases running Automatic Storage Manager (ASM) and Axiom storage deliver leading performance while providing an easy-to-use management environment
• Exchange Optimisation: Pillar addresses common challenges around Microsoft Exchange. Whether it is Exchange Mailbox growth, increase in users, backup, archive or compliance, the Axiom 300 is one platform that supports all the challenges without the need for disparate, multiple platforms.
• Virtualisation Optimisation: Pillar's unique architecture helps facilitate 50 per cent more virtual machines than any other storage system in this price band. With easy to use and manage AxiomONE software, the Axiom 300 helps provision virtual machines with superior flexibility and ease.

"The Axiom 300 delivers enterprise class performance, availability and functionality at an entry level price. We're confident no other storage system on the market today rivals the Axiom 300 in terms of value, performance, functionality and efficiency," said Curt Wittich, vice president of worldwide sales, Pillar Data Systems. "We listened to what our VAR partners were asking of us, and the Axiom 300 is an answer to their requests. This is an ideal platform for the SME customer, and we look forward to working with our VARs and channel partners to offer this robust, Application-Aware enterprise array for smaller companies with enterprise needs." The Axiom 300 is currently available worldwide, through both Pillar and authorized channel partners.

The Pillar Axiom 300 builds upon the launch of the Pillar Axiom 600/600MC, continuing the company's legacy of innovation, including Quality of Service (QoS), native NAS and SAN, distributed RAID, Guided Maintenance, and leading storage efficiency.

Pillar Axiom Storage Systems Certified for Windows 2008
In related news, the Pillar Axiom family, including the Axiom 300, recently received the Certified for Windows Server 2008 designation, demonstrating Pillar's continued leadership as an early supporter of the latest Microsoft technologies. The Axiom 300 is now certified for Windows Server 2008 x64, Windows Server 2008 x86, and Windows Server 2008 IA64 Certified for Windows.

Pillar Data Systems offers a compelling SAN (Storage Area Network) solution as compared to both DAS (Direct-Attached Storage) and traditional SAN solutions for Microsoft Exchange environments. The Pillar Axiom system simplifies management, consolidates resources, and saves time, money, and space in overcrowded and fragmented data centres. It delivers high reliability and performance, while allowing for flexibility, capacity, and rapid archive access.

Notes to Editors

About Pillar Data Systems
Founded in 2001, Pillar Data Systems develops Application-Aware Storage systems for midsize and enterprise organisations. With the highest utilisation rates in the storage industry, the Pillar Axiom solution is the most efficient storage system on the market today. The Pillar Axiom cuts administrative time and total cost of ownership by more than 50 percent as well as provides the only storage system that can differentiate services based on application priority. Designed from the ground up as the only true Application-Aware Storage system, the Pillar Axiom allows users to match multiple application characteristics to the appropriate service levels within a single storage platform.

Pillar Data Systems is privately funded by Tako Ventures, LLC, the venture arm of Larry Ellison. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California with a development office in Longmont, Colorado. The EMEA headquarters is in Drogheda near Dublin, with initial operations across Ireland, UK, Germany and France.