Data-storage firm Dot Hill Systems has expanded its channel program with the introduction of AssuredSAN disk-to-disk data protection appliances targeted at small-to-medium businesses (SMBs).

According to Dot Hill, the AssuredSAN 3000 Series features a suite of disaster recovery applications, including the company’s new AssuredRemote remote replication software for providing remote office data protection and eliminating the need for third party host-based software. It also includes volume copy, snapshot and remote replication as standard.

The company claims that the combination of AssuredSnap snapshot, AssuredCopy volume copy, and AssuredRemote functionality, enables its channel partners to offer a complete disaster recovery offering for SMBs.

Dot Hill said AssuredRemote offloads backup operations from application servers, creating little impact to production servers by asynchronously copying and synchronising data for up to 16 volumes simultaneously, directly between two AssuredSAN 3000R appliances via the local SAN or WANs. Replication can operate through fibre channel ports and/or the iSCSI ports in the case of the dual protocol AssuredSAN 3900 models, and supports failover using dual controllers.

David Zimmer, vice president of worldwide channel sales and marketing at Dot Hill, said: Customers told us that they would like to see more data protection features such as AssuredSnap and AssuredCopy in future-generation products. The AssuredSAN 3000 Series is the result; by adding AssuredRemote to our new 8Gb fibre channel-based 3000 Series architecture, we’re providing SMB customers with affordable, midrange-featured data protection appliances.

The AssuredSAN 3000 Series storage systems are available in various configurations including AssuredSAN ‘R’ models with AssuredRemote, AssuredSnap and AssuredCopy; AssuredSAN ‘S’ models with AssuredSnap and AssuredCopy; and AssuredSAN ‘C’ base models.