Violin Memory and Microsoft Jointly Develop All-Flash
Array Solution to Deliver Unparalleled Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 Benefits
SINGAPORE
— April 23, 2014 — Violin Memory®, Inc., (NYSE:VMEM), a leading provider of all-flash storage arrays and
appliances delivering application solutions for the enterprise, announced today
general availability of the Windows Flash Array (WFA). Jointly developed with
Microsoft® Corp., the WFA is the first all-flash high-performance storage array
powered by Windows® Storage Server 2012 R2 to deliver a rich set of high
performance storage features and data services for the enterprise. The unmatched
speed and efficiency of the Windows Flash Array transforms the datacenter by
dramatically reducing server overhead and application response times through
improved storage performance, fundamentally altering the cost structure of
enterprise applications. The Windows Flash Array enables enterprise and cloud workloads,
such as SQL® Server, Microsoft SharePoint®, and Windows® Server with Hyper-V virtualized
applications, to meet the needs of global enterprises, while satisfying IT
operational demands for maximized agility, automation, and orchestration between network,
storage and compute resources.
“Microsoft
technologies, such as Windows Server, SQL Server, and Microsoft SharePoint, are
already adopted by enterprises worldwide and growing dramatically,” said Bill
Laing, Corporate Vice- President, Microsoft. “By jointly developing this highly
integrated solution with Violin Memory, we are working together to provide
enterprise and cloud customers with dramatically improved performance,
scalability, and economics for their Windows applications - virtualized,
physical, and cloud.”
The
WFA is a tightly integrated combination of Windows Storage Server 2012 R2 and
Violin’s award winning hardware and software into a single solution that delivers
high performance all-flash array storage for enterprise and cloud customers.
Customers benefit from the proven storage features of Windows Storage Server 2012
R2 embedded into the Windows All Flash Array, including thin provisioning, data
deduplication, scalability, and encryption along with space efficient snapshots
and continuous availability, through Windows failover clustering.
“The
WFA solution with Microsoft’s vast suite of server applications is critical for
enterprises trying to revolutionize the performance, scale, and cost of data
center and cloud deployments,” said Kevin DeNuccio, CEO of Violin Memory. “This
collaboration with Microsoft produces the necessary integration of compute, network,
applications, and storage for customers designing the next generation of cloud
and virtualized solutions.”
Microsoft
has significantly improved the efficiency and feature set of Windows Storage Server
2012 R2 but, most importantly, it provides a new way to connect external
storage and make it perform like fast local storage. The Server Message Block
(SMB) Direct protocol enabled by remote direct memory
access (RDMA) makes possible a compelling
enterprise-class storage alternative to traditional SANs. Testing by
Microsoft reveals that SMB Direct can reduce CPU
overhead by up to 30%, while delivering higher performance storage that is less
expensive, and easier to administer through native Windows Server management
tools.
SQL
Server is an enterprise-class database that enables customers to build
mission-critical applications across OLTP, data warehousing, business
intelligence and analytics workloads. These enterprise applications are essential
workloads that benefit from the WFA. Customers beta
testing the Windows Flash Array with 2012 SQL Server report that the WFA delivers
up to 2X the write performance and up to 50% higher read performance, compared
to an industry standard all-flash array connected via Fibre Channel.
Windows Server with Hyper-V is one of the leading virtualization
platforms helping customers achieve a higher utilization and ROI from their
server assets. The high level of random I/O requests from virtualized workloads
make the WFA a natural fit. In Hyper-V environments, WFA achieved up to 40%
higher write performance in customer beta tests. Increased storage performance
means enterprises can increase host server virtual machine density, bolstering
their virtualization ROI and reducing CAPEX.
The net effect for customers is a significant reduction in compute and
storage expense, while meeting the most demanding application SLAs with orders
of magnitude improvement in response times. WFA is the first end-to-end continuously
available, high performance All-Flash Windows Storage Server Array for the
enterprise market.
END USER QUOTE
“The
Windows Flash Array (WFA) has exceeded our expectations within the data
warehouse and business reporting environments. The combination of the Windows
2012 technologies and Flash Array as a platform enables virtualised
environments to be truly scalable and resilient with a performance level equal
to or greater than direct attached flash storage. This translates to a data
warehouse and reporting environment returning immediate value, outperforming
traditional vendor offerings and with the lowest TCO compared to traditional
storage arrays.”
Justin Gasparre
Director: Situational Awareness
Service Integration Branch - CIO
Group
Dept of Defence, Australia
ANALYST QUOTES
“The Windows Flash Array is unique in the
market. By embedding Windows management functionality into the storage
controller, Microsoft and Violin are solving a problem we often hear from
practitioners in the Wikibon community. Namely, that they don’t have the
resources, skills or desire to deal with a separate storage management system.
We believe closer integration between Windows and an all-flash array will have
broad appeal for SMBs who are resource strapped, and large organizations that
want to eliminate management complexity.”
Dave Vallante
Chief Research Officer, Wikibon
“All
flash arrays have captured the highest tier of the enterprise storage market
for their application acceleration capabilities that go beyond the requirements
of today’s data-driven organizations. Bringing together these established
benefits found in the 64TB Violin Memory All-Flash Array with Windows Storage
Server 2012 R2, Microsoft and Violin have created a certified solution to
improve the performance of Hyper-V, SQL server and SharePoint environments.”
Eric Burgener
Flash Storage Research Director, IDC
Flash Storage Research Director, IDC
“We've
been fans of the software defined storage inside Microsoft Windows Server 2012
and the flash defined storage from Violin Memory ever since we tested solutions
from each of these industry leaders separately. But we're blown away with the
Violin Memory Windows Flash Array that combines the power of both. This unique
partnership has created a one of a kind solution that dramatically increases
the performance and efficiency of business critical application workloads like
Microsoft SQL Server and VDI.”
Brian Garrett
Vice-President, ESG
Vice-President, ESG
CHANNEL PARTNER QUOTE
“The performance
found in the Windows Flash Array is transformative. It allows customers to
redesign their datacenters to respond to user needs faster, which is key in a
world where speed is a competitive advantage.”
Michael
Frandsen
CEO MentalNote
CEO MentalNote
Microsoft
Certified Consultant
DISTRIBUTOR PARTNER QUOTES
"The Violin
Windows Flash Array fits cohesively with our customers' requirements for high
performance, easy to manage all-flash storage. The seamless integration into Windows
IT environments will reduce time to production and ease service and support
expenses."
John Walters
Managing Director, NextGen Distribution, Australia
Managing Director, NextGen Distribution, Australia
“Advanced computing environments can be a challenge to implement. The Windows Flash Array delivers leading performance and features that allow us and our resellers to deliver new levels of value.”
Masataka Kunisue
General Manager, Storage Network
Solution Dept
SCSK Corporation
Microsoft has certified the WFA as a supported
system for Windows Server 2012 R2 and is available directly from Violin Memory
and its global community of channel partners with shipments beginning April 22.
RELATED LINKS AND CONVERSATIONS
- Follow us on our blog, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
- View our resource library
and Technology Video Series.
- Check out our portfolio of memory-based solutions.
- Learn why the Violin Memory architecture is unique.
About Violin Memory, Inc.
Business
in a Flash. Violin
Memory transforms the speed of business with high performance, always
available, low cost management of critical business information and
applications. Violin’s All Flash optimized solutions accelerate breakthrough
CAPEX and OPEX savings for building the next generation data center. Violin’s
Flash Fabric Architecture (FFA) speeds data delivery with chip-to-chassis
performance optimization that achieves lower consistent latency and cost
per transaction for Cloud, Enterprise, and Virtualized mission-critical
applications. Violin's All Flash Arrays and Appliances, and enterprise data
management software solutions enhance agility and mobility while
revolutionizing datacenter economics. Founded in 2005, Violin Memory is headquartered
in Santa Clara, California. For more information, visit www.violin-memory.com. Follow us on Twitter
at twitter.com/violinmemory
This public announcement contains forward-looking
statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995, including statements with respect to the performance of Windows Flash
Array, the business, financial and other results that may be achieved by the use
of Windows Flash Array, and statements relating to Violin Memory’s business
plans and strategy. There are a significant number of factors that could cause
actual results to differ materially from statements made in this public
announcement, including: Violin Memory's limited operating history, particularly as a new
public company, the competition faced by Violin Memory in the marketplace;
Violin Memory’s history of large purchases by a
limited number of customers; risks associated with a transition in executive
leadership; its relationship with Toshiba as its sole supplier of
flash-based memory; risks associated with the development, production and
support of Violin Memory’s products; and numerous other market, political,
economic and business conditions. Additional risks and uncertainties that could
affect Violin Memory's business performance and financial
results are included under the captions "Risk Factors" and
"Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results
of Operations," in Violin Memory's annual report on Form 10-K, which was
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission, and which is available on the Violin Memory's investor
relations website at investor.violin-memory.com and on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.
All forward-looking statements in this public announcement are based on
information available to Violin Memory as of the date hereof, and Violin Memory does not assume any obligation
to update the forward-looking statements provided to reflect events that occur
or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.
All Violin Memory news releases
(financial, acquisitions, manufacturing, products, technology, etc.) are issued
exclusively by Business Wire and are immediately thereafter posted on the
company’s external website, www.violin-memory.com. Violin, Violin Memory and the Violin Memory logo are
trademarks of Violin Memory, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other
brand or product names used in this public announcement may be trademarks or
registered trademarks of their respective owners.
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