EMC unveils storage configuration software

EMC has added to its change management IT solutions

EMC has launched new software designed to ease the process of configuring storage area networks (SANs) and reduce service downtime.

EMC Storage Configuration Advisor will allow customers to automatically check storage infrastructure configuration against industry and internal best practices and policies, eliminating the need for manual processes, according to the company.

"By adding EMC Storage Configuration Advisor to our broad suite of automated IT configuration and compliance solutions, EMC is one of the only companies enabling customers to fully validate IT compliance across their entire datacentres," said Chris Gahagan, vice president of resource management software at EMC.

Analyst firm Enterprise Strategy Group said in a recent report that more than half of SAN outages are the result of improper configurations.

EMC claimed that its new solution will track a company's storage infrastructure to detect configuration vulnerabilities, and make sure that customers are complying with internal configuration policies and industry best practice.

The software carries built-in templates, which EMC said are designed around common industry standards, to allow customers to define and modify policies to meet business requirements.

Storage Configuration Advisor will also provide users with an audit trail of SAN changes and rule violations so that server teams can flag potential problems before they occur, EMC said.

The audit can also be used by IT departments to improve change processes and resource planning in the long run.