Data-Shield Launches New Services for Legacy and Specialist Infrastructure

Published 19th June 2008

Recent spate of mergers and acquisitions within the networking and storage markets provides opportunity for innovative new service provider to help protect investment in legacy infrastructure...

Dorking, Surrey, - June 17th, 2008 - Data-Shield Ltd, provider of maintenance, support and migration services with a focus on legacy and specialist equipment has launched a range of new services aimed at helping organisations protect their investment in out-of-manufacture, out-of-support or "legacy" products.

Data-Shield was formed by a core of senior technical staff affected by a wave of mergers and acquisitions at several leading storage and networking vendors. As Co-Founder and managing director David Carr explains, "Many large organizations are still reeling from the recent spate of acquisitions and mergers that has led to the end of life of several major product lines at several leading networking and storage vendors."

"For us, this provides unexploited niches to use our extensive expertise to help these customers either maintain these systems to the highest possible standards or to help migrate to other platforms."

Amongst its staff, Data-Shield has recruited consultants and implementation specialist with decades of deep technical expertise on a wide range of specialist equipment, still in use today at large enterprise customers, service providers and local government organisations. As Cliff Hutchings, Technical Director for Data-Shield explains, "Our staff are primarily people who we have worked with extensively over the last decade or so with a deep technical knowledge of systems from vendors such as CNT, Brocade, Inrange, McData and IBM."

"Even though many of these companies have now been acquired or have stopped manufacture of certain equipment lines, the products are still in the field and delivering mission critical services. With our combined expertise, Data-Shield is in a unique position to help organisations to protect their investment in these high end products for many years to come."

Data-Shield has established offices in Dorking, Surrey and has already signed agreements with several large system integrators to provide specialist technical services in support of large enterprise customers with extensive "legacy" equipment. "By offering a cost effective alternative to the somewhat expensive manufacturer led support contracts, Data-Shield provides a viable alternative to a "rip and replace" ideology suggested by certain manufacturers." Hutchings concludes.