New Supercomputer-Class Oracle Accelerator Kit From Texas Memory Systems

Texas Memory Systems delivers plug-and-play Oracle acceleration by bundling QLogic switches and host channel adapters with RamSan solid state disks...

Houston, Texas, USA, July 9, 2007 -- Texas Memory Systems, maker of the World’s Fastest Storage®, today announced a new Oracle Accelerator Kit – a product bundle designed to make it easier to accelerate Oracle database performance using supercomputer-class hardware. The Oracle Accelerator Kit includes Texas Memory Systems’ RamSan solid state disks, QLogic switches and QLogic host channel adaptors (HCAs) designed for InfiniBand-based Oracle grid computing environments.

The Texas Memory Systems Oracle Accelerator Kit can accelerate Oracle databases up to 2500%. Applications accelerated by solid state disks can support more concurrent users, more simultaneous transactions and demand less technical support. By using a pre-configured solution bundle, organizations benefit from extreme database performance and productivity gains, yet maintain an infrastructure that is scalable and easy to manage. The kits ensure fast and easy installation with assured compatibility of the components, all of which have been tested and certified by QLogic and Texas Memory Systems.“The need for database performance continues to grow,” said Dr. Klaus Heihoff, managing director of HMK Computer Technologies GmbH. “Being able to offer a certified and tested bundle that combines Texas Memory Systems’ super-fast SSD with QLogic’s InfiniBand HCAs and switches will make it much easier to solve customers’ performance challenges. Having Texas Memory Systems stand behind the complete offering eliminates any guesswork associated with moving to InfiniBand.”

“We are delighted that Texas Memory Systems has chosen QLogic products to build their InfiniBand Oracle Accelerator Kits,” said Frank Berry, vice president of corporate marketing, QLogic Corporation. “The RamSan SSD and QLogic InfiniBand HCAs and Switches are a powerful combination for achieving extreme application performance without sacrificing reliability, scalability or value. With the pre-certified InfiniBand Oracle Accelerator Kits, it is very easy for users to upgrade their data centers to address I/O performance bottlenecks.”

Texas Memory Systems’ Oracle Accelerator Kit is immediately available in three configurations, designed to meet the needs of small, medium or enterprise customers.

The Small Business Kit combines a Texas Memory Systems’ 32GB RamSan-300 SSD with a QLogic 9024 switch and two QLogic 4x InfiniPath HCAs.

The Medium Business Kit offers the Texas Memory Systems’ RamSan-400 with 64 to 128GB of capacity along with the QLogic 9024 switch and two QLogic 4x InfiniPath HCAs.

The Enterprise Business Kit is comprised of two Texas Memory Systems’ 128GB RamSan-400s, two QLogic 9024 switches and four QLogic 4x InfiniPath HCAs.

Source: www.itbsoftware.com

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Google lures Oracle vet for Lenoir center

(News & Observer, The (Raleigh, NC) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jul. 7--Google has hired a veteran of Oracle to manage the $600 million data center the company is building in Lenoir and start hiring for the first round of positions.

The facility is one of five the California company has announced in the past year, including one in South Carolina.

Tom Jacobik, 41, will oversee functions ranging from construction and hiring to hardware installation and day-to-day support once operations get under way in December.

"Tom has created a name for himself as an IT problem solver and leader," Andy Johnson, Google's East Coast regional manager, said in a statement. "This appointment is crucial to the success of the data center."

Google, which operates the world's largest Internet search engine, needs the server farm to store copious amounts of data such as pictures, video and other media moving on the Internet. For Internet users, the extra capacity will ensure all searches run smoothly and dependably, according to the company.

Jacobik, who started this week, was reached by phone in Atlanta, where he is training for the new job.

"The opportunity to build out a data center for a company like Google was way too much to turn down," Jacobik said. He plans to move his wife and seven children to Lenoir this year from Austin, Texas, where he was technical operations director for Oracle.

Jacobik has also worked for Cisco Systems and was chief information officer on special missions for the U.S. Air Force, where he managed the maintenance of communication systems and oversaw more than 300 people.

The new Google executive will begin posting positions for the Lenoir center in August and start hiring in December for 75 to 125 workers. Google promised to create 210 jobs in Lenoir within four years in exchange for up to $260 million in state and local tax breaks over 30 years.

Positions will include systems administrators, hardware managers, electricians and ventilation and air-conditioning experts -- these are needed to keep the facility cool amid hundreds, possibly thousands of hot-running servers. The new jobs will pay an average of $48,300 annually, nearly twice the Caldwell County average, according to state employment data.

"If growth continues, we will have capacity at our sites for further expansion," said Google spokesman Matt Dunne. That would be beyond the 210 workers.

While the first of two construction phases isn't scheduled to finish until mid-2008, the company will be able to erect work stations starting in December. "We're taking a good look at local talent because it's cost-effective in terms of not having to move people around and because it's the right thing to do," Jacobik said.

He could not say how many of the new workers will come from Lenoir or surrounding Caldwell County, which is about 200 miles west of Raleigh.

Sue Land, who manages the Employment Security Commission office in Lenoir, said Google is on schedule for building and hiring. She said she met Jacobik at a chamber event in Lenoir and discussed plans to employ as many local workers as possible.

To see more of The News & Observer, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.newsobserver.com.

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Understanding the ROI of ERP

If a companies wants to succeed with ERP, they must know how to properly implement it. However, this is only one of the things that a company must deal with if they want to succeed with this system. They must also have the resources to properly train their staff on using it.

The company as a whole must be determined to make use of this system. If this is not done, there is little point in setting up the system to begin with. If you wish to set up ERP, you must look at your return on investment. If you cannot see a reasonable return on your investment by using it, it may not be a good idea to spend money and time implementing it.

There are three things companies will want to pay attention to when they are deciding whether or not ERP will be a good return on their investment. When these three things are taken into consideration, the company will ensure that the system that is picked will allow them to achieve their goals. To do this, a company will first need to pay attention to the methods involved with implementing the system. Failing to do this will put them at a severe disadvantage. The biggest mistake made by most businesses is choosing can ERP system by placing an emphasis on the functionality and architecture. This is like purchasing a used car based on how it looks on the outside. When this is done, the results are always the same. The system is installed, the payment is made, but no one is happy with the results. The goals that the company originally set out to achieve by implementing the system are not realized. A tremendous amount of capital and time has been wasted. Because of the company wasted time and money on a system that didn't work, they now find themselves in a situation where they are losing the edge against their competitors. What is wrong with this situation? The answer is implementation. The vendor did not present a proven method of successfully implementing the system in a way that would allow it to be useful to the company.

It is important to realize that implementation and installation are two different concepts. Getting the two confused can lead to a number of complications. Installation can be defined as the process of moving from one software to another while keeping problems at a minimum. Implementation can be defined as a method that a company uses to achieve their goals by transforming the way they carry out operations. With implementation, the software is the tool that is used to achieve this objective. The process of implementation does not start while a company is looking for ERP vendors. It begins when the company present a goal that the ERP system will be used to achieve. The goal is the key. If there is no clear goal, selecting a vendor is a waste of time.

Once a company has come up with a clear goal they wish to achieve, the next step is to find a vendor that can help them achieve it. The only time a vendor should be chosen is if the company does not already have the necessary technology to achieve their objectives. Once a company begins the process of choosing an ERP vendor, they must look at more than the functionality of the system.

They must also look at the ability of the vendor to help them change their business processes in a way that can allow them to reach their goals. How can the company evaluate the vendor? There are three methods available.

The first method is to look at their sales efforts. Pay attention to how they want to assist their customers. The second strategy is to request the references of the vendor. If they are a quality company, they should have a solid reputation. The third thing companies will want to do is analyze the implementation methods of the vendor. Are they consistent in helping you achieve your goals? If they are, you will want to consider them. If they aren't, you will want to find another vendor. You must find a vendor that is able to help you based on work they've done with clients in the past.

Source: www.exforsys.com

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