Company
News
Sterling Software Unveils the Industry's First Software-Based Virtual
Tape Solution
SAMS:Vtape Maximizes Businesses Storage Resources By Using
Existing Mainframe Hardware
RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. (November 10, 1998) - The Storage Management Division of Sterling
Software (NYSE:SSW) today introduced SAMS:Vtape, the industry's first truly virtual tape
storage solution. This breakthrough software technology provides customers with a
flexible, scalable and easy-to-use storage alternative at a value unprecedented in the
industry. MVS host-based, it uses any combination of existing disk and tape, eliminating
the compatibility issues associated with proprietary hardware-based solutions.
"SAMS:Vtape makes virtual storage a reality for enterprise environments,"
said Louis Grosskopf, vice president, business development for Sterling Software's Storage
Management Division. "Because SAMS:Vtape is software, not hardware, it is infinitely
scalable and flexible and reduces, even eliminates, the expense of traditional virtual
tape systems. The product also will allow clients to take advantage of industry
advancements in capacity and performance, without locking into a proprietary
solution."
SAMS:Vtape creates virtual tapes and devices within MVS, thus reducing the need to
mount physical tapes. When data is transferred to tape, it is buffered and written out to
physical tapes under SAMS:Vtape control, ensuring that all media is fully utilized. This
dramatically reduces the number of tapes required. Then, when it is necessary to retrieve
data, SAMS:Vtape makes the data available virtually immediately. As a result, an
application can begin to work within two to three seconds of tape mount. This is more
efficient than hardware-based systems which require that the full file or volume be
restored before it can be accessed by the application. SAMS:Vtape also delivers easier,
faster vaulting and recovery of data sets without duplicating hardware in multiple sites.
Because this technology ensures that all tapes are fully utilized, SAMS:Vtape lowers
tape costs. According to Grosskopf, this product can reduce tape TCO by up to 90 percent,
reducing hardware and floor space needs as well as administration costs.
"Our storage management clients are going to pay less for a faster and more
flexible solution" said Grosskopf. "SAMS:Vtape performs better than any
hardware-based virtual tape system. "
Price and Availability
SAMS:Vtape is expected to be generally available in December 1998. Pricing will begin at
$24,000 (U.S.) for Group 30 and is available through Sterling Software's Storage
Management Division, which is located in Sacramento, California, as well as through
Sterling Software offices worldwide.
Storage Management Division
Sterling Software's Storage Management Division's focus is enterprise storage management.
The division's SAMS products help customers manage, monitor and automate data storage in
both distributed and centralized environments. They are designed to ensure that
mission-critical storage systems -- including the revenue-producing data a system captures
and the applications that rely on that data -- are continuously available.
For more information about SAMS:Vtape or the SAMS family of storage management products
call 916-463-8500 or 1-800-854-4011 within North America; 33-1-53-93-2200 in Europe and
Africa; 61-2-9975-4777 in the Pacific Rim; and 972-527-5255 for Latin America or visit the
company on the Web at. www.sterling.com.
About Sterling Software
Sterling Software is a leading provider of software and services for the application
development, information management, systems management and federal systems markets. The
company is ranked among Business Week's 1998 "Info Tech 100" as one of the
world's best performing information technology companies. Headquartered in Dallas,
Sterling Software has a worldwide installed base of more than 20,000 customer sites and
3,600 employees in 90 offices worldwide. For more information on Sterling Software, visit
the company's Web site at www.sterling.com.
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