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EMC automated networked storage implemented by NTT DoCoNo to manage i-mode information growth

Announcement posted by EMC 13 Jun 2003

EMC Storage Area Network Capable of Processing 800 Million i-mode Accesses Per Day; Delivers 24 x 7 Business Continuity
In cooperation with system integrators, NTT DATA Corporation and NEC Corporation (NEC), EMC Corporation announced today that NTT DoCoMo, Inc., Japan's premier mobile communications company, has implemented EMC Automated Networked Storage to manage and protect NTT DoCoMo's new gateway system 'CiRCUS', one of the world's largest mission-critical data networks. CiRCUS is the core of NTT DoCoMo's groundbreaking mobile i-modeTM service, which provides e-mail and Internet access to over 38 million mobile phone subscribers in Japan. EMC networked storage systems and open management software ensures i-mode data availability and significantly reduces recovery time, while protecting and restoring data.
Since the advent of i-mode four years ago, both the number of subscribers and the amount of content specially tailored for the service have risen sharply. More than 69,000 Web sites are i-mode compatible, making the service a vital part of the twenty-first century Japanese lifestyle. At the heart of NTT DoCoMo's operations is a commitment to provide customers with cutting-edge, cost-effective service. Therefore, a single hour of downtime of i-mode could cost NTT DoCoMo hundreds of millions of dollars.
The driving force behind NTT DoCoMo's investment in CiRCUS was to increase the performance and reliability of i-mode. Two years ago, DoCoMo began deploying an advanced, 400 terabyte EMC Symmetrix storage area network (SAN) to support 400 UNIX servers NX7000 and to ensure 24/7 availability of CiRCUS. Now complete and in production since March 2003, the high performance environment ensures reliable processing of 50,000 accesses per second for browsing web sites and 25,000 accesses per second for exchanging e-mails over i-mode.
EMC's information management and business continuity software has helped NTT DoCoMo manage the exponential growth of CiRCUS. The EMC ControlCenter family of management software simplifies and automates many processes required in managing a SAN as large as CiRCUS. EMC business continuity software ensures 24/7 availability of i-mode users and enables the system to operate non-stop during failures, maintenance, or inspection. NTT DoCoMom reduces the risk of data corruption, business interruption, and time-consuming recovery by preventing corrupted data from spreading across its information storage network with EMC Double Checksum software.
"The challenge faced by NTT DoCoMo at the onset of its network consolidation project was the speed at which its information was growing with the expansion of i-mode," said Frank Hauck, EMC Executive Vice President of Customer Operations. "In order to manage this growth, NTT DoCoMo implemented EMC networked storage to ensure the performance and accessibility of it users. As its information continues to grow and the infrastructure becomes more complex, EMC will continue to provide NTT DoCoMo with the most reliable and available networked storage systems and open software to help manage its growth without compromising performance."
About EMC
EMC Corporation (NYSE: EMC) is the world leader in information storage systems, software, networks and services, providing automated networked storage solutions for organisations across the globe. Information about EMC's products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.
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EMC, Symmetrix and CLARiiON are registered trademarks and ControlCenter are trademarks of EMC Corporation. Other trademarks are the property of their respective ownerz. i-mode is a trademark or registered trademark of NTT DoCoMo, Inc. in Japan and other countries.