Fusion-io Introduces ION Software Defined Storage

SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 1, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Fusion-io (NYSE: FIO) today announced its new ION Data Accelerator software that transforms industry-leading server platforms into powerful network shared ioMemory data acceleration appliances. ION provides Fusion-io performance to applications that need access to shared data while enhancing existing enterprise storage infrastructure.

From a 1U server, Fusion ION software delivers over a million I/Os per second with up to 6 GB/s throughput and under 0.06 millisecond latency. ION delivers breakthrough performance over Fibre Channel, InfiniBand and iSCSI using standard protocols. The Fusion ioMemory architecture enables ION performance to scale even further over time as server and networking solutions speed up through new technology developments. Even at these speeds, ION synchronously persists data, ensuring data is not at risk of being lost in case of an unexpected power outage. Unlike other networked storage systems, the software defined ION data accelerator software uniquely delivers both performance and power fail safety without battery backups or uninterrupted power supply (UPS) systems.

"When I first started working with Fusion-io, I was impressed how our engineers were so focused on using software to advance modern computer systems," said Fusion-io Chief Scientist Steve Wozniak. "Powerful software can be the foundation for incredible innovation, especially when it's also an open system that shares resources. I am excited that our new ION software shares ioMemory acceleration across the datacenter to help customers keep meeting the data demands they face on the application side of the Internet."

ION enables customers to combine Fusion ioMemory products, Fusion-io software and high performance servers to create an open platform appliance for shared data acceleration. A leading global media and entertainment early access customer added ION systems to accelerate a number of key applications, achieving a 25x improvement in SQL Server performance, an 8x improvement in transcoding performance and up to 40x acceleration improvements on a variety of other applications. Fusion ION software is currently being used by over a dozen early access customers, the majority of which are Fortune 500 companies.

"Software defined solutions are rapidly replacing specialized hardware throughout the datacenter, and Fusion-io has been at the forefront of this transition since our founding," said David Flynn, Fusion-io CEO and Chairman. "ION software combines customers' preferred server platforms and ioMemory to deliver greater performance than even dedicated flash appliances, while also improving the efficiency of high performance storage arrays. With ION, Fusion-io is offering a comprehensive portfolio of software defined data acceleration solutions, including server acceleration, caching acceleration, and now shared storage acceleration, giving customers maximum choice over how they architect ioMemory into their software defined datacenter."

ION offers a number of sophisticated features, including the creation of RAID sets, LUN creation and management, SNMP, performance monitoring, and more. Additional features include:

• Open Systems Deliver Customer Choice: ION software transforms tier one servers into a shared data acceleration appliance, allowing enterprise IT professionals to build solutions tailored for their expert knowledge, experience, and resources
• Software Defined Fusion-io Performance: ION provides 1,000,592 4K random IOPS with up to 6 GB/s throughput and 56 microsecond latency in a 1U server
• Enhanced High Availability: The ION High Availability software option achieves enhanced high availability and data protection by synchronously replicating data between multiple ION systems
• Power Fail Safety:  The Fusion ION Power Cut Safety feature ensures data is not at risk in case of an unexpected power outage or server failure. ION software uniquely delivers this power fail safety without battery backups, UPS systems or supercapacitors
• Industry-leading Reliability and MLC Flash Optimization: With ION, customers leverage sophisticated Fusion ioMemory features for enterprise flash management, such as configurable overprovisioning, which allows customers to optimize ioMemory for capacity or performance according to their needs, Wear Leveling to extend flash endurance, as well as Adaptive Flashback, which provides intelligent self-healing through complete, chip-level fault tolerance, enabling ioMemory products to self-heal after a single chip or a multi-chip failure without interrupting business continuity 
• Fusion ioTurbine and directCache Interoperability:  ION enabled systems are fully interoperable with Fusion's powerful host-based caching solutions, providing the needed balance of read caching with storage network-based write acceleration
• Customized Visibility: Customers can choose to operate ION software using Fusion's ioSphere management tools, providing centralized control from a single graphical user interface (GUI) or a Command Line Interface (CLI)
• Enhances Current SAN Performance: Hot spots and bottlenecks created by demanding applications slow down every existing shared storage system.  By moving these hot spots to ION, the storage array can provide faster, more predictable performance, allowing the storage array to focus on managing large capacities of enterprise data

"Fusion-io has focused on software-driven solutions that give architects more efficiency and choice in designing high-performance systems," said David Floyer, Wikibon Chief Technology Officer. "Fusion ION provides servers with a powerful shared data solution that used to require specialized hardware. This advances the evolution to I/O-centric data centers defined by software."

Fusion-io will be enabling resellers to offer integrated ION solutions. One of the first companies to sell this complete solution is purpose-built, data center server leader Hyve Solutions, a division of SYNNEX Corporation.  Hyve Solutions builds and distributes fully integrated Fusion-io certified ION solutions around HP and Hyve custom server platforms.

Steve Ichinaga, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Hyve Solutions, states, "Fusion-io offers unmatched performance within the server. In some cases, an appliance solution may be desired to provide high performance shared storage. We are excited about combining our expertise in custom server design and integration with Fusion-io technologies to bring this new high performance storage solution to the market."

Fusion ION shared acceleration software will be available in October 2012 at a manufacturer's suggested retail price starting at $3,900 USD. Customers can also configure integrated solutions with their preferred server systems vendor. Value Added Resellers interested in learning more about building Fusion ION solutions for their customers can register for a live webinar on August 7, 2012 at 2 pm PT or August 8, 2012 at 4 pm PT at http://run.fusionio.com/IONVARWebinarRegistration.html.

To learn more about Fusion-io visit www.fusionio.com. Follow Fusion-io on Twitter at www.twitter.com/fusionio or www.twitter.com/fusionioUK and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/fusionio.

About Fusion-io
Fusion-io has pioneered a next generation storage memory platform for shared data decentralization that significantly improves the processing capabilities within a datacenter by relocating process-critical, or "active", data from centralized storage to the server where it is being processed, a methodology referred to as data decentralization. Fusion's integrated hardware and software solutions leverage non-volatile memory to significantly increase datacenter efficiency and offers enterprise grade performance, reliability, availability and manageability. Fusion's data decentralization platform can transform legacy architectures into next generation datacenters and allows enterprises to consolidate or significantly reduce complex and expensive high performance storage, high performance networking and memory-rich servers. Fusion's platform enables enterprises to increase the utilization, performance and efficiency of their datacenter resources and extract greater value from their information assets.

Note on Forward-looking Statements
Certain statements in this release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, including, but are not limited to, statements concerning our new ION Data Accelerator software, including the anticipated benefits and market acceptance of this new software product. These statements are based on current expectations and assumptions regarding future events and business performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained, anticipated, or implied in any forward-looking statement, including, but not limited to, the risk that users of our new software product may not realize the anticipated benefits and that the software product does not achieve the anticipated market acceptance, and such other risks set forth in the registration statements and reports that Fusion-io files with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which are available on the Investor Relations section of our website at www.fusionio.com.  You should not rely upon forward-looking statements as predictions of future events.  Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee that the future results, levels of activity, performance or events and circumstances reflected in the forward-looking statements will be achieved or will occur.  Fusion-io undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statement for any reason after the date of this press release.

SOURCE Fusion-io