Fusion-io Unveils ioCache Virtualisation Solution

LAS VEGAS, August 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Fusion's ioTurbine software and customised ioMemory accelerator virtualises flash to deliver affordable performance for virtualising data-intensive enterprise applications

VMworld tradeshow -- Fusion-io, Inc., (NYSE: FIO), a provider of a shared data decentralisation platform, today announced its ioCache solution customised to deliver Fusion Powered performance for the virtualisation of even data-intensive enterprise applications in VMware environments, including environments that use vMotion. The ioCache bundle features a new purpose-built ioMemory product dedicated to accelerating Fusion's ioTurbine virtualisation caching software.

"As enterprises continue to try to meet growing demand to process more data faster through cloud infrastructures and virtualisation, we believe that Fusion's new ioCache solution will serve as a fundamental building block that provides the scalable data caching required in these environments," said David Flynn, Fusion-io chairman and CEO. "Just as RAM benefits from close integration within the server, our VSL subsystem integrates ioMemory within the server as a true memory resource to eliminate the complexity and latency introduced when accessing flash through storage protocols and embedded CPUs.  When integrated with VSL, Fusion's ioTurbine software combines flash management and cache management, consolidating the mapping into one single step and delivering even lower latency and reduced system overhead."

Many enterprises are adopting or exploring virtualisation, yet companies often incur significant costs attempting to handle the associated I/O requirements. The new ioCache solution improves virtualisation ROI by increasing the number of virtual machines per physical server, and also reduces the expenses related to powering, cooling and managing expensive traditional storage systems that struggle to meet the demands of virtualisation. With ioCache, enterprises will be able to finally achieve the performance and reliability needed to virtualise even data intensive applications that were previously difficult to migrate to virtualised environments while maintaining performance.  Customers will now be able to streamline their data centre operations into a single, unified virtualised environment.

When deployed in a VMware environment, Fusion's ioTurbine software dynamically provisions ioMemory capacity and I/O performance across multiple virtual machines (VMs) by using Fusion's VSL OS Subsystem to house and serve data for each VM.  Tight integration of VSL's host-based flash management and ioTurbine's cache management eliminates otherwise redundant mapping functions, maximising I/O performance and adding a critical and previously missing piece to virtualised IT environments - a plentiful supply of scalable, low-latency I/O.

Through this approach, Fusion-io unites the benefits of flash and cache without the overhead costs created by integrating each technology through traditional architectures using storage protocols and embedded processors. This solution avoids the need for expensive, performance-oriented networked storage systems, SSD arrays and memory appliances that struggle to deliver performance from the far end of a network, instead allowing enterprises to use cost optimised shared storage systems.

Key benefits of ioCache for virtualisation include:

• Acceleration of virtualised applications such as Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Exchange, SharePoint, IIS and other critical applications
• Increased VM density per physical server, resulting in more efficient usage of existing servers and minimising incremental investments in servers
• Lowered I/O demands on the external storage/SAN, resulting in more efficient storage usage and minimising incremental investments
• Lowered software licensing costs associated with fewer physical servers, since most software applications are licensed on a per server or even per-processor core basis
• Lowered memory and memory licensing costs, since VMs can reach performance without requiring as much memory for caching to avoid expensive I/O operations
• Lowered operational expenses associated with datacentre floor space, power and cooling, achieved via a smaller physical infrastructure footprint

Available exclusively in bundles with ioTurbine software, Fusion's ioCache delivers 600GB of capacity optimised to support the majority of virtualised application workloads. For applications requiring even larger caches, customers can integrate a Fusion ioDrive with ioTurbine software. The ioCache and ioTurbine virtualisation bundle will be available in Q4 2011. Manufacturer's suggested retail price for the virtualisation bundle is US$6,900 per physical server. Stand-alone licenses for ioTurbine software are US$3,900 per physical server. Additional information is available for interested customers by contacting a Fusion-io sales representative: http://www.fusionio.com/contact/sales/

Jay Phillips, vice president, Fusion-io virtualisation solutions, will present "Banishing I/O Bottlenecks with ioTurbine and ioCache" at VMworld at 12:50 pm PT on Thursday, September 1 in the Solution Exchange Theatre on the VMworld show floor.

To learn more about Fusion-io, go to http://www.fusionio.com. Follow Fusion-io on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/fusionio or http://www.twitter.com/fusionioUK and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/fusionio.

About Fusion-io

Fusion-io has pioneered a next generation storage memory platform for shared data decentralisation that significantly improves the processing capabilities within a datacentre by relocating process-critical, or "active", data from centralised storage to the server where it is being processed, a methodology referred to as data decentralisation. Fusion's integrated hardware and software solutions leverage non-volatile memory to significantly increase datacentre efficiency and offers enterprise grade performance, reliability, availability and manageability. Fusion's data decentralisation platform can transform legacy architectures into next generation datacentres and allows enterprises to consolidate or significantly reduce complex and expensive high performance storage, high performance networking and memory-rich servers. Fusion's platform enables enterprises to increase the utilisation, performance and efficiency of their datacentre resources and extract greater value from their information assets.

Note on Forward-looking Statements

Certain statements in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, including, but are not limited to, statements concerning our ioCache Virtualization Solution and the expected benefits of the solution. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions regarding future events and business performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained, anticipated, or implied in any forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to, the potential that customers may not realize the benefits from deploying the ioCache Virtualization Solution that we currently expect and such other risks set forth in the registration statements and reports that Fusion-io files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the Investor Relations section of our website at http://www.fusionio.com. You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur. Fusion-io undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason after the date of this press release.

   
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    Nancy Fazioli
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