Storage & Archiving: Here whenever you need it
New cost-effective, powerful devices and media are debuting for use in a variety of sizes of healthcare facilities. Storage and archiving are about more than providing safe-keeping for images these days - helping to boost productivity and ease workflow through efficient image delivery.Network Appliance Inc. (Booth #2574) is showcasing at RSNA 2004 the NetApp NearStore R200, a disk-based nearline storage system that combines the Data ONTAP operating system with ATA disk drives. NetApp will demonstrate the ease of set up, disk expansion, and storage management that enables hospitals, radiology groups, and imaging centers to store and retrieve storage-intensive digital images while meeting HIPAA regulatory requirements.
EMC (Booth #4118) is highlighting new offerings from its Healthcare-Life Sciences division, including EMC Email Archiving technology that unites email archiving functionality with tiered storage systems. The tool allows users to increase productivity and reduce time spent on managing email, as well as facilitate upgrades and migrations of Microsoft Exchange and Lotus Notes and comply with email retention requirements and regulations.
EMC is showing off its new Centera Universal Access version 2.1 that supports all four of the major industry-standard protocols: network File System (NFS), including IBM iSeries via Integrated File System (IFS) using NFS; Common Internet File System (CIFS); File Transfer Protocol (FTP); and Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP). EMC also is featuring its Backup-to-Disk technology for healthcare that includes a comprehensive set of hardware, software, and services. The system addresses service-level limitations caused by traditional tape-based backup and recovery environments, and improves the overall protection of critical patient care data for clinical applications including EHR, PACS/RIS, and CIS.
IBM (Booth #3952) is introducing version 2 of its IBM Medical Archive Solution, which is now available with X-series servers on a Linux platform that also supports Windows 2000/NT. The Medical Archive Solution combines IBM's Tivoli software and TotalStorage technologies to securely manage and access medical images based on specific storage policies. This system is designed for near- and long-term access and archival of PACS and other image related data. In addition, the system is designed to integrate with PACS behind the DICOM Archive components of PACS. The system is pre-built and configured to address medical imaging storage requirements.
Sony Electronics (Booth #4338) is featuring its new recording technology that uses blue lasers instead of red lasers to write more data onto a disc. Professional Disc for DATA provides 23.3GB storage capacity per single-sided disc, providing the storage capacity needed to fulfill the rigorous demands of medical imaging. The new format - available in both write-once and rewritable versions - also boasts fast 11MB/second read and 9MB/second write speeds for quick file storage and retrieval. Professional Disc for DATA media features a narrower track pitch than CD, DVD and MO technologies.
Addressing durability, Sony has designed a new anti-static polycarbonate resin cartridge that covers the disc, protecting it from damage and data loss or errors during the write/read process. Based on internal testing, Sony Professional Disc for DATA media has an estimated lifespan of over 50 years and can be rewritten (erase/write/read cycles) more than 10,000 times, the company said.
Plasmon (Booth #8964) is expanding high-capacity UDO (Ultra Density Optical) throughout its product line. In addition to it already shipping G-Series UDO libraries, with capacities from 218GB to almost 20TBs, Plasmon recently introduced a line of IBM iSeries-compatible UDO libraries with the same product range. True WORM and Rewritable UDO technology also is available this month on a new stand-alone drive for smaller medical archiving applications. The new drives feature expanded operating system support and a newly designed chassis for external versions.
Hewlett-Packard (Booth #5548) is showcasing a highly scalable solution based on grid technology for imaging centers, small, medium and large hospitals as well as integrated delivery networks. The solution uses cost-effective industry standard servers and storage media to promote ease of storage and retrieval of patient records. Using rules-based management to define policies affecting image location, the solution integrates into existing PACS, HIS and RIS environments, accommodates growth requirements and meets HIPAA-regulatory compliance standards.
InSiteOne Inc. (Booth #4758) is debuting at RSNA an expanded disaster recovery and business continuance service that features data protection beyond DICOM images. With these enhancements, InSiteOne InDex storage features compatibility with all medical data, including the databases that drive PACS and HIS/RIS; customizable levels of service for a full range of storage needs, including storage length and frequency; configurable settings for any environment, whether for a small network of servers or enterprise-wide SANs; and full HIPAA compliance, offering healthcare providers the peace-of-mind that their critical data are safe and secure.
Panasonic Vision System is unveiling its new LQ-MD800 Video Recorder. The digital recording system provides the capability to record/playback DVD-RAM and DVD-R media in the MPEG-2 format. By employing DVD-RAM cartridge-encased media, the Panasonic LQ-MD800 Video Recorder offers "data secure" recording. The DVD-RAM media incorporates Defect Management System (DMS), making data recovery possible if the disc is partially damaged.
The LQ-MD800 Video Recorder also accepts common DVD-R discs for use in less volatile environments. The economical DVD-R media is universally accepted for playback in virtually any DVD device.
Rorke Data (Booth #4935) is showcasing its Galaxy 16i Serial-ATA (SATA) RAID that incorporates Hitachi's high-capacity 400GB SATA drives. In a single 16-bay 3U chassis, users can achieve capacities up to 6.4TB. Systems can be optimized for imaging workflows with large files found in medical applications. The 16i also is now available with single- or dual-controllers and with expansion JBODs for even larger capacity requirements.
In addition, Rorke Data is featuring Plasmon's new UDO (ultra density optical) technology and libraries. UDO is designed for professional optical storage for archival of medical images and patient data. Based on UDO blue laser technology, UDO is the successor to 5.25 inch MO (magneto optical) storage - available in both Rewriteable and true Write Once media formats.
StorageTek (Booth #5538) is showing its FlexLine online storage system at RSNA. Among the new offerings in the FlexLine family of disk-based information lifecycle management systems are the 2Gbps Fibre Channel-switched FlexLine FLA300 access-centric disk array and FlexLine FLX210 storage system. New and current offerings are enabled by SANtricity 9.1 software suite for FlexLine 200 and 300 Series storage systems that allow customers to mix different drive types in the same system, while increasing their disaster recovery/ business continuance capabilities through asynchronous, remote disk-to-disk mirroring.
Along with the FLA300 and FLX210, StorageTek is bringing its BladeStore technology to RSNA with a preview of the FlexLine 600 Series capacity-centric storage systems. Based on an intelligent storage processor and new blade design, FlexLine 600 Series storage systems use SATA drives that scale in increments of 500 gigabytes (2 drives on one blade) for granular system growth, with a low capacity entry point of 3TB. FlexLine 600 Series storage system is expected to be available in the first half of 2005.
Data Distributing (Booth #7110), partnering with RadInfo Systems, is demonstrating its DICOMCD, RIS, storage and document management systems which offers even small imaging facilities the ability to afford PACS, digital records, and remote exchange of images and documents. Data Distributing is one of this year's IHE Portable Data Exchange technology participants and will be delivering a live demo at its booth. In addition, Data Distributing is showcasing its new storage partner Promise Technologies' iSCSI RAID systems which offer 80 percent of fiber channel performance at 30 percent the cost, with remote archive monitoring and mirroring capabilities.