Press Releases
Cosworth Technology Dramatically Reduces Data Storage Costs, Increases Productivity, with BlueArc SiliconServer
CAD data restoration 420x faster with BlueArc disk to disk backup
London, Olympia, UK, STORAGE EXPO, October 15th 2003
BlueArc Corporation, a leader in high performance, highly scalable network attached storage (NAS), today announced that Cosworth Technology, a provider of integrated powertrain solutions to the global automotive industries, is streamlining its storage management processes using BlueArc's network attached storage solution - the Si8700 SiliconServer.
Specialising in engine design, development, calibration and diagnostics, casting, engine assembly and machining and test installation, Cosworth Technology required a replacement for its existing direct attached storage (DAS) system, which proved difficult to manage. Cosworth Technology experienced problems juggling full disks, dispersed backup and slow network resources. Backup and restore times were taking too long and Cosworth Technology required overall faster CAD data access for increased productivity.
The BlueArc Si8700 was chosen for its ability to provide a mixed storage environment, featuring Fibre Channel and ATA disk arrays integrated in a single system. From one solution, Cosworth Technology can now match its storage to the applications, either fast CAD applications on Fibre Channel or slower CAD operations on general ATA storage. Additionally, BlueArc's snapshot capabilities enable Cosworth Technology with online copies of tape backups, dramatically reducing time to restore data. Utilising the company's previous storage infrastructure, restoring a 200MB file from tape would take 3.5 hours. With BlueArc, data restores now take less than 30 seconds.
Mike Robson, IT Operations Manager at Cosworth Technology said, "Instead of spending time on storage management and storage scaling issues, our IT team can focus efforts on improving Cosworth IT processes for business competitive advantage. Our employees now have rapid access to CAD storage all day, everyday with less need for the IT team to set storage quotas."
Prior to purchasing BlueArc's SiliconServer, Cosworth Technology was using six UNIX servers to manage an ever-increasing amount of high-performance applications, data and users, making management of data and workstations extremely challenging. Cosworth Technology's purchase of BlueArc's SiliconServer reduced the number of servers needed to manage the data to one, while providing the performance and capacity to scale to multiple terabytes. Each BlueArc system is based on the unique SiliconServer Architecture, which transports data through hardware rather than software, removing the network-to-disk transfer bottlenecks associated with traditional servers.
With the SiliconServer as a key component to the company's infrastructure, Cosworth Technology now has expanded its available space, with the ability to proactively control how storage is used and the facility to appropriately allocate storage space to each user within the company. Founded on an architecture that meets the future needs of fast-growing business, the Si8700 delivers a simplified and centralised storage management system.
"It's every IT manager's nightmare to have to juggle an ever-increasing user base with storage spread across multiple server platforms. In this case, Cosworth Technology needed to quickly and easily share, manage, and protect its CAD data. BlueArc has proven time and again that its storage systems are a long-term answer to the needs of businesses in the field of high-performance computing and engineering," said Geoff Barrall, founder and CTO of BlueArc.
About BlueArc Corporation
BlueArc® Corporation changes the economics of network storage by helping customers manage more information with less effort. BlueArc's SiliconServer storage systems enable organizations to maximize performance and reduce operating costs through the movement of software functions into programmable hardware. Since 1998, BlueArc has provided scalable and reliable products, services and solutions to help enterprises achieve unmatched productivity and profitability from their data. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, California with UK operations based in Bracknell, England. More information on BlueArc is available on the Internet at
www.bluearc.com.
About Cosworth Technology
Cosworth Technology is an independent consultant and major supplier of Powertrain and diagnostic engineering services to the global automotive industry. It employs around 1000 people at its operations in Northampton, Wellingborough and Worcester in the UK and at Cosworth Technology, Inc. in Detroit, USA.
CT is unique in its blend of capabilities. These include Powertrain design, development and systems integration, engine manufacturing and aluminium engine component casting technology, incorporating the patented Cosworth Technology Casting Process. For more information, visit
www.cosworth-technology.com.
