The latest newcomer pitching storage solutions for small and midsize companies is called Pranah, and it's focusing on low-priced solutions for the video and digital imaging markets.Pranah Storage Technologies offers custom hardware and software combinations designed to create scalable, simple-to-use storage solutions that Fibre Channel (FC) and iSCSI, and integrate SAN and NAS systems in the same storage unit. The Pranah 2000 Series comes standard with Pranah's Control Suite software, which includes thin provisioning, snapshot, integrated NAS, and browser- based management. (It's all open source -- no Microsoft code involved.) The hardware offers optional tiered storage, replication, and Distributed File System (DFS) to enable disk optimization. There's even a patented cooling system.

But according to ChannelWeb, Pranah's biggest selling point is price, with entry level systems squarely in the underserved $12,000 to $25,000 price band.

That's of particular interest to Apple-based shops working in digital media, which typically deal with very large files and need the speed of Fibre Channel connections. Other target markets include medical and records imaging and video surveillance.

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