IBM Launches Upgrade of Data-Storage System

IBM Corp. today will launch a revamped version of its high-end data-storage machine called Shark.

IBM, which is fighting for market share in the highly competitive data-storage sector against the likes of EMC Corp. and Hitachi Data Systems, said the entry-level price on the new machine remains about $400,000.

It begins shipping in volume on Aug. 16.

The company said the new version of Shark is the first major upgrade to the data-storage system, which is used for high-volume transaction processing and to store large databases of information, since it was introduced in 2001.

IBM expects to gain market share against EMC with the new version of Shark, said Linda Sanford, group executive for the Storage Systems Group.

Sanford said the new version of Shark is part of an overall refresh of its storage products and that it includes technology that cuts down on administrative costs.

Sanford also said the company’s new storage software called Storage Tank, which has been in the works since 2000, will be released in 2003 as planned.

“We are definitely on track,” Sanford said.