Luminex Software, Inc. announced today the successful implementation of its Data/WARE Channel Gateway mainframe tape encryption solution at a leading U.S. bank.
The bank selected the Luminex solution after an extensive evaluation process which included mainframe encryption solutions from major industry vendors. The Luminex win was attributed to superior performance, ease-of-use, zero impact to mainframe operations, and compatibility with the bank's current configuration.
Luminex's Channel Gateway leverages fabric-based encryption and key management capabilities for a common enterprise-wide data security infrastructure. The Channel Gateway fully supports tape libraries and streams data at channel speed between mainframe channels and the Fibre Channel network. As a fabric-based solution, it is transparent to the mainframe, with no process or software changes required, and with zero MIPS impact.
The bank demonstrated its commitment to protecting client data by implementing the solution to secure data for its off site backup and recovery tapes. The Channel Gateway enabled the bank to accomplish this without changing its backup and recovery process or modifying any of the existing backup and tape applications, including Innovation Data Processing's FDR and BMC Software's products.
Typical of mainframe data centers, the bank's backup window could not be impacted. They were very pleased when their tests showed an 11% reduction in their backup window using the Luminex Channel Gateway with encryption compared to their previous operations without encryption. The new solution is comprised of the Luminex Channel Gateway, a NeoScale CryptoStor encryption appliance, and StorageTek (Sun Microsystems) 9840C Fibre-Channel tape drives. These tape drives were installed by StorageTek in the bank's existing StorageTek mainframe tape library. The library is controlled by StorageTek's HSC library management software. The bank's disaster recovery site will use the same encryption solution to expedite recovery if needed.
"Our bank rejected other solutions prior to evaluating the Luminex Channel Gateway," said Jeff Moore, IT Project Manager. "The Channel Gateway met or exceeded all of our stringent requirements. The Luminex solution is now in use at our primary data center and we are deploying a second configuration at our Disaster Recovery location."
"The installation demonstrates the true value of mainframe channel-based gateway and encryption solutions. The Luminex Channel Gateway installs quickly, supports existing tape library infrastructures and in the case of the Bank - delivered a NET INCREASE in tape backup performance! This includes the encryption process!" stated Michael Saunders, Luminex's President. "The competition fought hard for this account. But ultimately the Product won out over the hype and FUD."
The Data/WARE Channel Gateway Encryption Solution is another example of Luminex's rapid response to our customers' and the market's needs and requirements. Together, with Luminex' Data/WARE Optical, and Virtual/BLUE DASD and VTS solutions, Luminex offers mainframe enterprises the best solutions on the market for securely protecting, storing and distributing their business-critical, sensitive and confidential data.