LeftHand Unveils Virtualization Kits

BOULDER, Colo. -- LeftHand Networks, the leading provider of highly available iSCSI SANs, announced today that its Virtual SAN Appliance (VSA) for VMware ESX Server is available as part of new Virtualization Solution Kits, which are an industry first for providing highly available applications and storage without requiring an external SAN. The Virtualization Solution Kits, which consist of LeftHand Networks’ VSA software as well as VMware virtualization software, are now available from distributors Alternative Technology, Inc. and Avnet Technology Solutions. Small and medium businesses (SMBs) and remote and branch offices (ROBOs) of the enterprise now have access to an affordable solution that delivers the high availability that they require. The LeftHand Networks VSA is also the first virtual storage appliance to be certified and listed in the SAN Compatibility Guide for VMware ESX Server.

Companies have rapidly adopted VMware virtualization to optimize existing IT investments and to ensure business continuity and data protection. The LeftHand VSA, based on LeftHand’s award-winning SAN/iQ® software, is a VMware Certified Virtual Appliance and provides complete SAN management functionality through the VMware ESX Server. By virtualizing the internal disk capacity of VMware ESX Server and clustering the storage across multiple VMware ESX Server hosts, LeftHand’s VSA eliminates the need for external shared storage necessary to implement the advanced features of VMware Infrastructure, making it easier for SMB and ROBO customers to take advantage of the benefits of enterprise-class virtualization.

“The combination of LeftHand’s VSA and VMware ESX Server provide customers who have smaller deployments or remote and branch offices the ability to implement a complete and attractively priced VMware virtualization environment that provides high availability to both applications and storage,” said Parag Patel, vice president, alliances at VMware. “VMware virtualization software has quickly changed the IT landscape by helping customers lower the cost of their IT infrastructures while enabling higher levels of protection for business critical systems.”

LeftHand Networks Inc.