Novell has announced a new version of its storage solution, Novell Storage Manager 2.5, which automates storage management tasks based on events, identities and policies that reside in the directory.

In order to demonstrate compliance, greater requirements for storage capacity, access management and automation have emerged. Manually managing this process is no longer effective as IT administrators look for solutions to facilitate more efficient use of storage, simplify use and management of data and storage, and automate functions.

"Novell Storage Manager automates the full lifecycle management of user and group storage, leveraging Novell eDirectory or Microsoft Active Directory," Buck Gashler, marketing manager for Novell Storage Manager, tells 5 Minute Briefing. It uses identity and policies stored within the directory to automate storage management tasks, including provisioning user storage when new users are added to an organization; assigning role-based access to individual and group storage; managing quotas for storage; "file grooming" to remove files that are not wanted on the network; as well as archiving, deleting, or sending files to a manager for review when an employee leaves an organization.

Key enhancements to Novell Storage Manager 2.5 include collaborative storage enhancements in which user storage management capabilities have been extended to groups; expanded Novell Linux support so that event monitors and agents now run on Linux servers; APIs that allow storage actions to be transacted through Novell Identity Manager; a completely redesigned interface for easier use; and enhanced cataloging to archived files as they are moved among storage devices for easy retrieval and restoration after a disaster.

To learn more about Novell Storage Manager, go here.