Hitachi Data Systems
Company type | A wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd (NYSE: HIT) |
---|---|
Industry | Information storage hardware Information storage software Data storage devices Computer systems Computer hardware Computer software IT consulting IT services |
Founded | 1989 |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Minoru Kosuge (Chairman) Jack Domme (Chief Executive Officer) |
Number of employees | Over 5,300 employees in more than 100 countries and regions |
Website | HDS.com |
Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) provides mid-range and high-end storage systems, software and services. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. and part of the Hitachi Information Systems & Telecommunications Division.[1] The company sells through direct and indirect channels in more than 170 countries and regions. Its customers include over 50 percent of the Fortune 100 companies.[2]
Hitachi Data Systems was founded in 1989 when Hitachi and Electronic Data Systems (EDS) acquired National Advanced Systems (NAS) from National Semiconductor. The company marketed, sold, and serviced IBM-compatible mainframes built by Hitachi. On January 29, 1999 Hitachi acquired EDS' stake in Hitachi Data Systems, assuming full control on April 21,1999. One year later, Hitachi Data Systems announced a strategic global transformation and re-organization to apply resources in a customer-centric approach and focus on storage rather than mainframes.[3]
Acquisitions
- February 6, 2007: Hitachi Data Systems acquired Archivas, provider of industry-leading digital archiving and content management solutions.[4]
- August 20, 2010: Hitachi Data Systems acquired the IP and core engineering team of ParaScale, developer of Cloud Storage software which aggregates multiple standard Linux servers to present a single, highly scalable, virtual file-storage appliance.[5]
- September 7, 2011: Hitachi Data Systems acquired BlueArc which develops and sells a clustered NAS solution for storing and managing digital content and unstructured data.[6]
- October 5, 2011: Hitachi Data Systems announced intention to acquire Shoden Data Systems, a leading provider of data center technology solutions in South Africa and across the sub-Saharan African continent.[7]
Corporate affairs
Hitachi Data Systems has its corporate headquarters in Santa Clara, California. The company has business offices across North America and Latin America; EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) headquartered in the UK; and, APAC (Asia Pacific) headquartered in Hong Kong. HDS maintains Executive Briefing Centers in Santa Clara, California; Sefton Park of Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom; and Odawara, Japan.[8]
Products and services
Partial list of hardware products
- The Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is Hitachi Data Systems high-end storage platform for enterprise storage needs. It includes virtualization of internal and external heterogeneous storage into a single pool which it uses for dynamic provisioning and dynamic tiering.[9]
- Universal Storage Platform. The Hitachi Universal Storage Platform (USP-V & USP-VM) family is HDS’ older high-end storage platform focused on consolidation for enterprise storage needs, including virtualization of internal and external heterogeneous into one pool.[10]
- USP-V / USP-VM products are also OEMed and resold by HP as its HP StorageWorks XP 24000 / XP 20000 Systems[11] and prior to the Oracle acquisition were also sold by Sun Microsystems as the Sun StorageTek 9990V & 9985V Systems[12]
- Adaptable Modular Storage. The Hitachi Adaptable Modular Storage 2000 line is designed for fault tolerant mission critical storage needs and uses a symmetric active-active controller architecture.[13]
- Hitachi High-performance NAS (HNAS). The Hitachi High-performance NAS line offers performance in scalability, Intelligent Tiering with dynamic data migration (Hierarchical storage management), and Cluster Namespace (CNS) for unified file administration.[14]
- Hitachi Content Platform. An intelligent, multipurpose distributed object storage system that enables IT organizations and cloud service providers to store, protect, preserve and retrieve unstructured content with a single storage platform. It supports multiple levels of service, evolves with technology and scale changes, and eliminates the need for tape-based backups.[15] The Content Platform is the foundational component of the HDS cloud architecture.[16] The Hitachi Content Platform received the Visionary Product Award for Enabling Professional Storage Technology at the Storage Visions 2012 Conference.[17]
Partial list of software products
Hitachi Data Systems complements its hardware products with a software portfolio that encompasses storage management, cloud storage, replication, data protection, and IT operations.
- Storage Management. Storage management software allows the configuration, day-to-day operation, performance tuning, and monitoring of Hitachi storage environments. Some specific functions include storage provisioning, optimization, and tiering, as well as virtualizing and managing Hitachi and third-party externally attached storage. Many management processes can be automated based on policies set by the storage administrator. HDS storage management applications are available individually or as a bundle in the Hitachi Command Suite.[18]
- Cloud Storage. Hitachi Content Platform is the foundation of the Hitachi Data Systems cloud architecture. It can be deployed in public, private, or hybrid cloud storage models and uses Hitachi Data Ingestor[19] software to move data into the cloud. Hitachi Content Platform provides dynamic tiering, active archiving and content-aware search capabilities for unstructured data files. Using the Hitachi Content Platform-based cloud companies can comply with regulatory mandates for long-term archiving and meet e-discovery deadlines.[20] The Hitachi Content Platform received the Visionary Product Award for Enabling Professional Storage Technology at the Storage Visions 2012 Conference.[21]
- Replication. Hitachi software supports in-system as well as remote data replication for data migration or to meet companies’ business continuity and disaster recovery objectives. Examples of this software include Hitachi ShadowImage In-System replication for local mirroring and point-in-time copies, Hitachi TrueCopy Extended Distance or Synchronous Remote Replication for long-distance replication, and Hitachi Universal Replicator which supports two, three or potentially four remote data centers for business continuity efforts as well as virtualized external storage.[22]
- Data Protection. Hitachi data protection software is used to manage backups and snapshots. Examples include Hitachi Backup Services Manager which provides a centralized, real-time view of backup and restore applications, Hitachi Data Protection Suite which uses CommVault software to provide snapshot, replication and persistent copies, and Hitachi Data Retention Utility which allows storage administrators to assign access permissions and to make archived data non-erasable and non-rewritable for compliance with government and industry regulations.
- IT Operations. Hitachi IT operations software monitors the IT infrastructure and simplifies IT administration. Hitachi Operations Analyzer software provides a high-level view into the status of multi-vendor server, storage, and network infrastructure performance, availability and interdependencies. Hitachi IT Operations Director is used for security management, asset management and software distribution.[23]
Partial list of services
Hitachi Data Systems offers services in the areas of Assess and Consult, Plan and Design, Install and Implement, Integrate and Transition, Manage and Optimize, Education, and Financial Services.
- Assess and Consult. These services evaluate and assess customers’ IT environments for adoption of new technologies for business continuity, storage management, tiered storage, virtualization, thin provisioning, and cloud storage, and can also prepare an economic justification for investments in new storage infrastructures.
- Plan and Design. Based on the customer’s requirements and current IT environment, these services design and generate a plan to meet service level objectives.
- Install and Implement. These services use proven methodologies and best practices to customize, transition and operationalize the customer’s purchased storage systems and software for rapid, accurate deployment.
- Integrate and Transition. When migrating to new Hitachi technologies, the Integrate and Transition services leverage multiple techniques, to transparently move data between heterogeneous storage systems while servers stay online and applications keep running.[24]
- Manage and Optimize. These services use Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) principles and Hitachi Data Systems best practices to manage a customer’s infrastructure, ranging from zoning and storage allocations to 24/7 monitoring, performance assessments and health checks to fully managed support.[25]
- Education. Hitachi Data Systems Academy provides in-depth product and technology training courses in a variety of formats which can lead to HDS Certification in several tracks.
- Financial Services. Hitachi Data Systems Credit Corporation provides a number of financing options from asset management to leasing to meet a customer’s budget.
Support
Select Care Maintenance Service Levels include both offsite and onsite support and range from Basic maintenance coverage during normal business hours to 24/7 Premium coverage with a 2-hour response time.
Work environment
The culture of Hitachi Data Systems is influenced by the founding values[26] of the parent company, Hitachi Ltd., those being Wa (harmony, trust, and respect), Makoto (integrity, sincerity, honesty), and Kaitakusha-seishin (pioneering spirit and challenge). Hitachi Data Systems emphasizes ethical behavior in its worldwide operations and was recognized by Ethisphere Magazine in 2011 as one of the World's Most Ethical Companies. The company has active Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs[27] including a means for employees to recommend and request a grant for a non-profit organization. Hitachi Data Systems works with the Hitachi Foundation and other Hitachi entities to support philanthropic enterprises around the world.
Hitachi Data Systems participates in "Best Places to Work" lists globally. The company achieved a position on FORTUNE Magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” list in 2012[28] (ranking at No. 86) and was ranked No. 8 in FORTUNE's list of top-paying companies[29]. Chief Executive Magazine gave HDS a ranking of No. 16 in its “40 Best Companies for Leaders” list for 2012[30]. Hitachi Data Systems has been named to the top 10 best places to work in the San Francisco Bay Area for the past three consecutive years[31], and was recognized among the "Best Companies to Work For" in France [32] and Poland [33] in 2011. In 2010 Hitachi Data Systems was accredited by the Best Companies organization in the United Kingdom[34].
See also
References
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems Corporation Company Profile". Yahoo Finance. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Microsoft Solutions Partners". Microsoft. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems: A storage giant lost in translation". The Register. Retrieved 2011-12-09.
- ^ "Hitachi acquires Archivas". InfoStor. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems buys Parascale, gets more 'cloudy'". techtarget. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Acquires BlueArc in Big Data Deal". Data Center Knowledge. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems has sights set on Africa". Data Center Dynamics. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems Corporation". Business Week. Retrieved 2008-04-17.
- ^ "Hitachi VSP (Virtual Storage Platform) & Command Suite 7– Technology, Comparisons, Architecture". StorageNerve. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ "TechValidate Research on Hitachi Universal Storage Platform V or VM". TechValidate. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ "Vendor profile: Hustling Hitachi Data Systems has EMC in its sights". Computerworld Storage Network World Online. Retrieved 2009-01-21.
- ^ "Oracle-Sun Ends HDS Storage Agreement". CRN. Retrieved 2010-11-11.
- ^ "ESG Lab Review: Hitachi AMS 2000" (PDF). Enterprise Strategy Group. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ "Hitachi NAS Platform: Efficient, Agile, and Powerful Network Attached Storage". Enterprise Strategy Group. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
- ^ http://www.hds.com/products/file-and-content/content-platform/ | Vendor Website]
- ^ "Hitachi unveils roadmap for cloudy offerings". Channel Register. Retrieved 2011-12-12.
- ^ "Storage Visions 2012 Conference Award Winners". Storage Visions Conference. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
- ^ "HDS unifies storage management tools". InfoStor. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "HDS Tunes Up Data Ingestor Cloud Storage On-Ramp". InfoStor. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "HDS Launches New Content Platform For Cloud Storage". CRN. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Storage Visions 2012 Conference Award Winners". Storage Visions Conference. Retrieved 2012-02-06.
- ^ "HDS Takes the 'White Gloves' Off as it Launches New Strategy to Expedite and Simplify Data Migrations". Network World. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Hitachi Data Systems takes on IT lifecycle management". IT World Canada. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Hitachi unveils new data migration services". Trade Arabia. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "HDS service reclaims capacity". InfoStor. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ "Corporate Philosophy". Hitachi USA Website. Hitachi USA. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)". Hitachi Group Website. Hitachi Group. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Best Companies to Work for 2012". FORTUNE Magazine. Cable News Network. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "25 top-paying companies". FORTUNE Magazine. Cable News Network. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ Donlon, JP. "40 Best Companies for Leaders". Chief Executive Magazine. Chief Executive Group, LLC. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Top Workplaces in the Bay Area 2012". Top Workplaces. Bay Area News Group. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Best Workplaces in France". Great Place to Work Institute. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Best Places to Work in Poland". Great Place to Work Website. Great Place to Work Institute. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
- ^ "Best Companies 2010". Best Companies. Best Companies Ltd. Retrieved 31 January 2012.
External links
- Hitachi Data Systems Home Page
- Hitachi Data Systems Blogs
- Hitachi Data Systems Forums Home Page
- BlueArc Home Page
- Itel Corporation Company History
- IEEE Annals January-March 2005 (vol. 27 no. 1), The Rise and Fall of Plug-Compatible Mainframes