With today’s addition of iSCSI protocol support to their OneFS storage operating system, Isilon claims they now have the industry’s first unified scale-out enterprise storage solution. In theory, VARs can now consolidate file- and block-based applications into a single shared storage pool and increase efficiency. Here’s the story.

The VAR Guy detailed the Isilon OneFS pooled network storage solution here, and this update is free to all current customers. A major benefit of the iSCSI protocol integration, according to an Isilon spokesperson, is the ability to deploy Isilon on VMware, Citrix, Microsoft Hyper-V, or any other hypervisor.

The other major benefit, the company says, is that Microsoft has certified the iSCSI functionality, allowing for consolidation of Microsoft Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, and other applications.

Isilon already prided itself on its data management capabilities. By adding iSCSI to their repertoire of common file transfer protocols, the OneFS offering gets a little stronger for their partners.

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