EMC Rethinks High-End Storage With V-MAX

You've probably had the EMC Symmetrix family as a fixture in your data center for high-performance and high-availability storage for years, or at least you've given it strong purchase consideration. But in the past few years, EMC fell behind the technology curve as direct high-end competitors, and in their stead, innovators in the mid-range storage arena provided higher levels of automation and virtualization. In April 2009, EMC announced V-MAX, through which EMC will try to shore up its position in top-tier enterprise storage and provide customers with better capabilities at a lower cost point. However, many of the features will take time to fully mature, so buyers should press EMC to deliver on its promises and demonstrate improved economics over the long term. EMC is saying the right things to validate next-generation architectures and regain a leadership position in core storage technology, but it must execute on its road map and demonstrate the economic value of the innovations to truly change this market.