Earlier this week, EMC's Sam Marraccini wrote a guest blog on Microsoft's SQL Server team site highlighting the benefits of Flash technology with Microsoft SQL Server. In short, flash continues to be a game changer and with the introduction of EMC Xtrem products including XtremSF (PCIe server flash), XtremSW Cache... Continue reading

The FLASH.NEXT theme continues at EMC World 2013, Lead Your Transformation “The X Factor”. The X Factor Booth will be more than noticeable in the exhibit hall. Make sure you stop by to review the updated EMC Flash Strategy and have a chance to ‘Grab Some Cash” in the “Cash in a Flash” cash cube. Continue reading

Every now and then you get the opportunity to participate in an Xtrem event! I had that opportunity during the EMC Xtrem Launch last week. I was able to participate in the “IO Drag Race”. Yes, I know. It’s all marketing. But, it is based on an actual test. Continue reading

Flash everywhere strategy as a single product family, bringing together Flash technologies from server to all Flash arrays. So, what’s in the Xtrem Family? The Xtrem Family includes: XtremSF, XtremSW Cache and XtremIO. Of course, XtremIO (Previously Project-X) is a full feature storage array, built from the ground up with Flash in mind. More on XtremIO to come! The bigger story today! XtremSF & XtremSW Cache! Continue reading

Don’t miss the EMC Flash.Next live broadcast and product announcement. Find out how your environment can benefit from unprecedented flash performance and get real-time answers to all you questions from our flash technology experts. Join us Tuesday, March 5th 11:00 AM EST. Watch the event unfold live here ! http://bit.ly/FLASHNEXT Continue reading

I spent some time with Ye Tao, in the EMC Emerging Technology Center to review that support. Ye configured a Microsoft SQL Server Cluster (active/passive) running an active OLTP (TPC-E) workload using EMC VFCache Hardware and Software. Ye then initiated a failover and failback with no disruption of the SQL services. Inside Flash Episode #8 highlights that demonstration: Continue reading

The EMC Solutions Group recently released a whitepaper focused on EMC Infrastructure for VMware. The solution includes real world database workloads. Data warehouse and OLTP, Microsoft SQL and Oracle, all virtualized. A configuration that reflects what our customers are doing as they move to the cloud. A key component of that configuration is EMC VFCache, accelerating both the Data warehouse and OLTP environments. Continue reading

Flash, Flash, Flash!!! Everyday all day, that’s my life these days! Flash across the infrastructure based on application needs! But, what does that mean? It would be easy to put Flash drives in an existing array, repackage it and call it an All Flash Array. Flash provides the ability to fundamentally change the way we look at storage. The key to the strategy is the SOFTWARE!! The integrated software will provide the intelligence necessary to best leverage the capabilities of Flash. Continue reading

Welcome to Inside the Partnership (EMC/MSFT) Episode #34, November 29, 2012. Keeping EMC field resources up to date on the latest EMC/MSFT integration and road maps is key to joint continued success. Staying hands on is even more important. After all, using the infrastructure is the best way to provide... Continue reading

Keeping EMC field resources up to date on the latest EMC/MSFT integration and road maps is key to joint continued success. Staying hands on is even more important. After all, using the infrastructure is the best way to provide proper positioning and gaining maximum value for our customers. Continue reading

The EMC Forum is a traveling road show of EMC Technologies; the show travels the globe and brings with it a sort of “mini EMCWorld”. Consider it a best of EMC in the field, your opportunity to get the latest direct from the source. The event made its way to... Continue reading

Flash, Flash, FLASH! Flash is indeed everywhere and the EMC flash strategy is clear. “Flash Everywhere”. Flash in the Server with EMC VFCache 1.5, Server Side PCIe based flash cache, now supporting Cisco UCS. Flash in the Network with EMC Project Thunder (Project Thunder, WOW, the early performance reports are “Mind Blowing” we’re talking “Millions” of IOPs, Much, Much more on thunder to come. And Flash in the array! A little flash goes a long way via a hybrid array, and what if you could change storage all together? You would build an all flash array with integration de-duplication, snaps/clones, and a full set of management tools and application integration (hello VMware). Continue reading

Welcome to Inside Flash, Episode #5, September 28th, 2012. Hello VFCache 1.5, nice to meet you! In-line cache deduplication (Thanks EMC backup team), first in the industry – Check! The only host cache solution supported and listed on the VMware HCL – Check! and… cluster support, EMC VMAX integration and management, 700GB PCIe cards and Cisco Mezzanine integration. With the VFCache 1.5 press release aligned with VMWorld 2012, there is only one person I wanted to have on the show!! The Virtual Geek himself…. Chad Sakac! Chad was gracious enough to not only spend some time on the show, but he gave me a quick demo of some of the new features of VFCache 1.5. Continue reading

So if Lightning, now VFCache, is a server Flash caching solution anchored in array protection, Thunder represents the move from the host to Server Network Flash. Server Network Flash representing a flash resource that can be shared across multiple hosts. More important, Thunder will leverage the intelligence of VFCache and continue the extension of EMCs Fully Automated Storage Tiering. Flash in the Array, Flash in the Server and Flash in the Network… To get a closer look at Project Thunder I attended a Secret Session at EMC World 2012, “Area-51”. Not much was known about Area-51. The session was standing room only, and fortunately, I had my camera ready. Here is a quick look at the “Project Thunder” presentation at EMC World 2012 “Area-51”….. Continue reading

Welcome to Inside the Partnership (EMC/MSFT) Episode #33, August 19, 2012. I spent a good portion of my early career here at EMC configuring and designing Microsoft Exchange storage solutions. Granted, most of those conversations included Exchange 2003 and EMC replication technologies, new concepts in 2004-2006. Storage design, then and... Continue reading

Jim Cordes is part of the EMC Commercial Solutions Advisory Team and has been designing messaging solutions since the early days of MS Mail. He has been hard at work developing the “EMC Extensions” for the Microsoft Exchange 2010 Storage Calculator. I spent some time with Jim at Microsoft Teched this past year. Continue reading

Welcome back to Inside Flash, Epsode #3: Life in the Flash lane… and it’s moving FAST. (Fully Automated Storage Tiering pun intended ;-) Putting the final touches on the EMC Flash presentation for VMWorld 2012. Much more on that in a future episode of Inside Flash. With VMWorld only a few short weeks away, let’s take a quick look back at the EMC Flash Zone at EMC World 2012. Continue reading

This quarter was a little different. Sure, EMC pre-announced earnings along with some organizational changes, but even those types of changes can be expected. What I didn’t expect was for the newly appointed EMC President, COO & CFO, David Goulden to review the EMC Flash Strategy during the investor call. This is the strategy that I have personally been evangelizing for the better part of a year now. Here is the audio and slide directly from the Earnings Call: Continue reading

Traveling as part of EMCs Flash Business Unit, I get the same types of questions all the time. “What’s the VFCache Installation process?”, “Is it really that easy?” or “What do I need to do to my storage array and application?” Let me start by saying… Yes, it is that easy. To prove it, I spent some time with Scott Lewis. Scott is part of EMCs Emerging Technology Division and has been helping our customers experience the effects of EMC VFCache since its introduction at EMC World 2011. Continue reading

This episode is a high level overview of EMCs presence at Microsoft TechEd 2012. Including: Avamar 6.1, a Best of TechEd Finalist. I spent some time with Alex Almedia to get a high level overview of Avamar 6.1. Then I visited Txomin Barturen with his “Toys” The EMC Microsoft Fast Track Private Cloud. The customer interest was overwhelming. Txomin spent most of the conference demonstrating ODX and SMB 3.0 support. VFCache, Server side PCIe Flash IO accelerator, is a key component of EMCs Fully Automated Storage Tiering, extending FAST to the server. I spent some time reviewing VFCache Hardware and Software, for more VFCache info visit www.InsideFlash.com. Mike Mcghee was EMCs breakout presenter. I spent some time reviewing his session and spent some time with Neil Salamack talking about EMCs latest data protection product, AppSync. More details on AppSync and Mikes presentation on future episodes of Inside the partnership. Just like last year, the EMC prize patrol was in action, and the EMC grand prize giveaway was HUGE!!! Check out all that EMC Blue… Congratulations to our $1000 winner. Thanks for watching. To be notified of the latest Inside the Partnership videos, follow me on Twitter @EMCMSFT and check out www.InsideThePartnership.com. You can subscribe to the RSS Feeds for the Blog, the Pod Cast and the Video Cast respectively at www.InsideThePartnership.com and be sure to check out my latest Video cast at www.InsideFlash.com Continue reading

This episode is a high level overview of EMCs presence at Microsoft TechEd 2012. Including: Avamar 6.1, a Best of TechEd Finalist. I spent some time with Alex Almedia to get a high level overview of Avamar 6.1. Then I visited Txomin Barturen with his “Toys” The EMC Microsoft Fast Track Private Cloud. The customer interest was overwhelming. Txomin spent most of the conference demonstrating ODX and SMB 3.0 support. Just like last year, the EMC prize patrol was in action, and the EMC grand prize giveaway was HUGE!!! Check out all that EMC Blue… Congratulations to our $1000 winner. Thanks for watching. To be notified of the latest Inside the Partnership videos, follow me on Twitter @EMCMSFT and check out www.InsideThePartnership.com. You can subscribe to the RSS Feeds for the Blog, the Pod Cast and the Video Cast respectively at www.InsideThePartnership.com and be sure to check out my latest Video cast at www.InsideFlash.com Continue reading

VFCache software includes technology at the heart of EMCs data protection heritage. This secret sauce includes EMC technologies and patents based on decades of engineering. It is the best of the best of the best and nothing else. That software extends EMCs FAST to the server itself. Allowing IO to be measured in Microseconds (not milliseconds), VFCache represents what I see as the second of four categories of Flash in the enterprise. Inside Flash is your connection to all things EMC and Flash. Check out the blog at www.insideflash.com and be sure to follow me on Twitter @emcmsft and @insideflash Thanks for watching, and feel free to contact me via email Sam Marraccini, (sam.marraccini@emc.com) Continue reading

The Conference Tour continues, this time in Orlando. Microsoft Teched 2012, this time it’s all about Windows Server 2012! - This Episode recorded, edited, and uploaded the same day!!!! (WOW!!!), on to the next one. Look for me in the EMC Booth here at TechEd 2012! Continue reading