Kodak to offer Sun storageTek in CARESTREAM solution

SANTA CLARA, Calif: Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced that Kodak will offer the Sun StorageTek 5800 storage system as an integrated storage option for its CARESTREAM Information Management Solutions.

By making its Versatile Intelligent Patient Archive (VIParchive) software available with the StorageTek 5800 system, Kodak's CARESTREAM Solution will offer radiologists and healthcare IT managers a new storage option that improves reliability and performance, while helping to lower costs. The StorageTek 5800 storage system also exploits the power and reliability of its embedded Solaris 10 Operating System (OS), the most advanced OS on the planet.

According to Michael W. Jackman, General Manager, Healthcare Information Solutions, and Vice President, Eastman Kodak Company, "The Sun StorageTek 5800 system is one of the most interesting storage solutions to come along in years. Some of the features that we are working on with Sun really complement our CARESTREAM Solutions and allow us to better address new requirements we are hearing from customers."

As the world's first Application-Aware Programmable Storage solution, the StorageTek 5800 system, formerly known as Project Honeycomb, blurs the lines between application server and storage, giving application developers new flexibility in the way their applications are deployed. By off-loading selected data services from the application server, the system can help improve the overall application price/performance while helping to lower cost and complexity. Examples of these services include metadata management, database queries, and custom services such as image resizing. By moving portions of the application to the data, rather than moving data to the application, picture archive and communication system (PACS) providers can deliver a more flexible, higher reliability solution.

The StorageTek 5800 system will also help healthcare customers more easily manage their study archives by scaling capacity and performance horizontally without disrupting applications and users. Use of advanced reliability algorithms also enables the system to heal itself from multiple simultaneous component failures without the need for immediate servicing.

"The Sun StorageTek 5800 system delivers substantial storage innovation by leveraging the breadth and depth of Sun's technology portfolio, including the Solaris 10 OS and Sun Fire x64 servers," said David Yen, executive vice president, Storage Group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Healthcare is an ideal match for the StorageTek 5800's capabilities -- PACS scale requirements and regulatory issues place it at the leading edge of content management applications. We are committed to enabling our healthcare partners and OEMs, including Kodak, to build data management solutions that fully address customer requirements."

Sun's OEM program for healthcare creates opportunities for partners to develop solutions for providers, payers, regional and national healthcare organizations. Sun provides OEM partners with an expanded set of cost-effective, innovative platforms and technologies that support delivery of high-performance, differentiated solutions, such as Kodak's CARESTREAM Information Management solution.

CIOL Bureau