– Akorri has released the 3.5 version of its BalancePoint virtual infrastructure management software, which can also be used in physical infrastructures. The cross-domain management software enables SAN administrators to monitor and optimize performance and capacity utilization.
Most of the enhancements in BalancePoint 3.5 are related to predictive analysis of storage devices.
For storage administrators, a key addition is the Predictor for Storage tool, which detects disk contention problems and enables administrators to identify potential causes and business impact and to automate the remediation process. Predictor also alerts administrators via email re potential storage problems. (Predictor is currently designed for disk arrays, but future versions of the predictive analysis software will address components such as HBAs, switches, controllers and cache.) The goal of Predictor for Storage is to prevent brownouts or downtime.
“As you move to the cloud, virtualization is not going to be the ROI saver,” says Jim Comstock, Akorri’s vice president of marketing. “The real ROI saver will be the ability to drive higher efficiencies with flat headcount while delivering the best performance.”
Also new in BalancePoint 3.5 is support for Microsoft’s Hyper-V; enhanced support for VMware (including vSphere 4.1); and support for additional storage devices, including NetApp’s V-series, HP’s SVSP, and Hitachi Data Systems’ Dynamic Provisioning.
Akorri will be demonstrating BalancePoint 3.5 at next week’s VMworld show in San Francisco.
Akorri competes to varying degrees with storage resource management vendors such as SolarWinds (which acquired Tek-Tools earlier this year) and virtual infrastructure optimization vendors such as NetApp (the SANscreen suite) and Virtual Instruments (see Frank Berry’s blog post, “Virtual Instruments: Early incumbent in the VIO market”).
