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IBM (Quote) is taking encryption to the midrange storage
market today, unveiling its System Storage TS3400 Tape Library to protect
data as it comes into the box.
The TS3400, a two-drive library that can fit as many as 18 cartridges and
store up to 37.8 terabytes (define) of data, includes security
technologies found in the IBM TS1120
tape drive for large enterprises.
Encryption is a key buzzword for hardware and software vendors trying to
sell their wares these days.
Two major trends are converging to create a Web of paranoia around data
housed on computers: the proliferation of laptop thefts and database
breaches, along with the emergence of corporate data privacy policies that
require data be kept safe are forcing businesses to demand technology to
keep their data shored up.
Naturally, vendors such as IBM, HP (Quote), EMC (Quote),
Sun Microsystems (Quote) and others are rushing to offer
encrypted machines that give enterprises and extra measure of security.
Encrypting data in a tape drive is valuable for customers because, unlike
other devices, tape drives show no significant performance slips. Encryption
in the drive also allows for data compression.
Sun, for example, offers
Sun StorageTek Crypto Key Management Station manages keys used to encrypt
and decrypt data on the StorageTek T10000 tape drive.
But Master said IBM believes it is the first to offer midrange encryption on
a tape-based device.
To wit, with IBM’s new TS3400, users can tap the Java Encryption Key Manager
to encrypt and access data across AIX, i5/OS, Linux, HP, Sun and Windows
operating systems.
Bruce Master, senior programming manager of tape storage at IBM, said IBM
believes it is ahead in this track meet, because it was able to pack the
same encryption features from its high-end TS1120 tape drive into the new
TS3400 tape library to appeal to midrange customers.
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