New Dell EMC XtremIO Updates Deliver Enhanced Data Protection and Availability for Customers

Since Dell EMC XtremIO X2 was introduced at Dell Technologies World in May 2017, customers have hailed the platform’s efficient architecture, consistent availability and agile copy data management.

Dell EMC XtremIO X2 6.3, the newest version of the XtremIO software, builds upon those key attributes and can help accelerate IT transformation and data center modernization.

XtremIO X2 6.3 allows customers to employ advanced data protection models, protect their data from cyber and ransomware attacks and reduce cost through increased levels of consolidation.

Among the new features included in Dell EMC XtremIO X2 6.3:

◉ Synchronous Replication: Application availability and service level delivery are fundamental expectations of IT support, even in the event of a major outage or disaster.  To deliver even greater availability to our customers, we are pleased to announce support for synchronous remote replication. Complementing asynchronous replication, this solution delivers zero data loss between 2 XtremIO systems within ~60 miles of each other, adding protection options for those critical applications where even loss of a single transaction is unacceptable. To maximize flexibility and efficiency, XtremIO replication can be deployed on an individual application basis – synchronous replication for the most critical applications and asynchronous for business-critical applications. Further, replication can be easily switched between modes at a single click per application. Integration with XtremIO XVC copies ensures multiple versions are available for testing and full DR failover at the target site.

2x Storage Volumes: XtremIO is an ideal platform for integrated Copy Data Management (iCDM) thanks to its snap efficient shared metadata architecture, which allows the system to scale linearly regardless of primary or snap copy workloads. Now, each XtremIO system supports up to 32,000 primary/snap volumes, double the number of volumes supported by the last iteration of XtremIO software. This allows for more frequent snapshots to tighten RPOs and bring systems back online with more up-to-date data.  Additionally, application and database owners can leverage this increased scale to more actively generate and provision copies of their data to speed application development and testing.

◉ Secure Snaphots: According to the Dell EMC Global Data Protection Index, the cost of data loss is nearly 2X that of unplanned system downtime with an average cost of $996,000. With XtremIO 6.3, snapshot data can now be completely protected from deletion preventing data loss or overwrites. Customers define a retention period (for example – 7 days or 1 month) the snapshot should be kept for, after which it is automatically deleted.  Customers looking for protection against malicious intrusion, like Cyber Ransom or even accidental deletion know that their data is safe and protected. This also helps customers adhere to corporate governance and compliance requirements. To ensure the highest levels of security, even admin accounts will not be able to delete these snapshots during the retention period.

◉ Improved Efficiency and Reduction Guarantees: XtremIO now guarantees 3:1 data reduction ratio (DRR) and 5x overall data efficiency, driving additional consolidation and storage efficiency for your storage investment.

“Dell EMC XtremIO is critical to our IT infrastructure and the addition of synchronous replication, additional storage volume support and secure snapshots will help support our mission-critical applications,” states Mike Hale, Executive Director, Enterprise Architecture, Information Services, Steward Health Care System, one of the nation’s fastest-growing community healthcare systems.  “The end-to-end solutions offered by Dell Technologies, including Dell EMC XtremIO, will allow us to continue delivering the world class integrated care our patients deserve — efficiently and cost-effectively.”

Data availability is one of the most critical requirements for any storage platform and these new updates are designed to ensure that XtremIO continues to improve for our customers.  To date,  XtremIO platforms have a cumulative total of over 280 million lifetime run-time hours.

Customer availability of the Dell EMC XtremIO 6.3 software is planned for the December timeframe. Contact your customer support team for details on planning the upgrade.