Knowledge is power, as the old saying goes. In this day and age, “knowledge” can just as easily refer to data, which takes its own kind of power – namely, disk space. The need for secure storage that is both size and cost effective is not likely to go away any time soon, and Nimble (News - Alert) Storage aims to fill that necessity with a special flash and disk hybrid data storage system.

I recently spoke with Radhika Krishnan, Nimble Storage’s head of Product Marketing & Alliances. She explained what goes into Nimble Storage’s… nimble storage. It uses a combination of flash and disk storage, leveraging each other to provide the individual benefits that each present. This also makes it more affordable to the mainstream marketplace, as it doesn’t have the high costs that massive amounts of flash storage may present.

With the data compressed in a writable format, companies can save anywhere from 30 to 70 percent on data costs.

Nimble Storage is mostly aimed at the mid-market, currently having around 600 customers, as well as several channel partners, and is reaching out towards ecosystem vendors. Service providers are also known to use Nimble to host their offerings, with their highest growth coming from server virtualization.

Both software and hardware are provided, depending on the customer’s needs.

Nimble’s storage is “engineered for efficiency,” built around three “pillars.”

Firstly is affordable performance, with no loss in capabilities; they aim to create a service with maximized performance and optimal capabilities, but still remaining within an affordable price range for mid-sized businesses.

Secondly is integrated data protection; as its entire purpose is to store data, every action to protect that data is taken, including hourly backups and a quick and painless data recovery should anything unexpected occur.

Lastly, there’s simplicity of management, with the system’s proactive wellness that fixes problems before they occur.

I know the importance of data storage, both for saving vital information and storing large amounts of data. It seems that Nimble Storage meets the need for those, with a unique storage system and several ways of protecting the data.

Having spoken with them and hearing what they have planned for the future, I would say that their services are capable and convenient for the mid-sized businesses in need.

Want to learn more about the latest in communications and technology? Then be sure to attend ITEXPO West 2012, taking place Oct. 2-5, in Austin, TX. ITEXPO (News - Alert) offers an educational program to help corporate decision makers select the right IP-based voice, video, fax and unified communications solutions to improve their operations. It's also where service providers learn how to profitably roll out the services their subscribers are clamoring for – and where resellers can learn about new growth opportunities. For more information on registering for ITEXPO click here.

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