The storage arena is growing by leaps and bounds as more and more healthcare facilities face the reality of thorough disaster recovery preparation and federal mandates for data retention, storage vendors are serving up a variety of solutions. Vendors cited the desire of small- and medium-sized healthcare organizations to have effective storage solutions that don't require substantial IT expertise in-house. Those needs are being met by offering remote administration that can maintain the system through e-mail alerts and other internet-based communications.

7 Medical Systems/Evolving Solutions have worked together to provide more storage both onsite and offsite. 7 Medical provides off-site storage in a managed hosted model, and Evolving Solutions is an IT storage architect providing data on demand and storage virtualization.

Acuo Technologies made its RSNA debut, showcasing Acuo DICOM Assisted Migration (A.D.A.M.) software - a DICOM tool used to migrate image data from one DICOM archive to another. A.D.A.M. provides for accurate rapid transfer of data from one archival storage system to another and from legacy PACS to new systems.

Acuo also introduced several new next-generation products that utilize Acuo's Intelligent Data Infrastructure that virtualize and extend storage, network and applications resources.

Bycast has developed storage management software now available through partners such as Hewlett Packard and IBM.

Candelis introduced the ImageGrid 1000, a DICOM storage/router that includes redundant components at all levels.

CoActiv Medical Business Solutions announced that its EXAM-Vault Archive Service has been validated by Hologic Inc. as an approved archiving solution for the Hologic Selenia full-field digital mammography system. EXAM-Vault is a cost-effective and efficient archive solution that is particularly suited to handle large data sets.

Data Distributing highlighted its "D-Essentials" solutions line that imports, digitizes, archives, and distributes DICOM images, films, documents and data.

DatCard showcased its PacsCube Express 100X and Express 200X. The Express 100X provides digital images in CD-R, supports DICOM Send, DICOM Query/Retrieve (Q/R), remote DICOM Q/R and DICOM Print, and includes support of OEM DICOM viewers, auto-spanning of images across multiple CD-R/DVD-R, and more. The PacsCube Express 200X is geared for larger facilities as it supports both local and remote DICOM Query/Retrieve from PACS, Mitra Brokers, and DICOM send from imaging modality.

EMC Corp. announced its new reseller agreement with Siemens Medical Solutions enabling Siemens to offer EMC information lifecycle management (ILM) products and solutions. EMC also highlighted the Centera Four-Node Configuration for Healthcare Providers, which provides a lower-cost, lower-capacity enterprise archiving solution. EMC further highlighted new versions of its EMC CLARiiON networked storage systems with native iSCSI (Internet small computer system interface) support, including the new CLARiiON AX100i, CLARiiON CX300i and CLARiiON CX500i models.

Fujitsu Computer Products of America showcased its ultraportable removable storage drives, including the DynaMO 1300 pocket with DICOM viewer which allows clinicians to transport DICOM images and data on 3.5-inch magneto-optical disks.

Hewlett-Packard featured its Medical Archiving Solution which enables management of fixed content through grid storage architecture. It is also media aware and moves information from old to new media to avoid conversion needs and offer anti-obsolescence protection.

Hitachi Data Systems highlighted the TagmaStore Adaptable Modular Storage systems models AMS200 and AMS500, and Workgroup Modular Storage model WMS100 that offer scalability, high-performance and high-availability. The AMS200 and AMS500 leverage many high-end features, such as logical cache partitioning and RAID-6. Hitachi's TagmaStore Universal Storage Platform, TagmaStore Network Storage Controller, and HiCommand Tiered Storage Manager provide advanced, large-scale virtualization capabilities which enable intelligent tiered storage with software that can centrally manage the tiers and migrate data without disruption.

IBM Healthcare & Life Sciences is focusing on information-based medicine and considers imaging a critical data set, particularly when integrated with genetic and clinical information. To address the archiving needs, IBM introduced the new Grid Medical Archive Solution Entry Edition, which reduces the entry price-point for small and medium facilities.

InSiteOne announced its new data migration service as part of its InDex services for data management and security. The service includes a partnership with DeJarnette Research Systems Inc., a leader in medical imaging interface technology. It also announced an Authorized Dealer agreement with X-Ray Marketing Associates Inc. The company also debuted its Rapid Retrieval Archiving, supported by its new Tier 4 data center featuring RAID2 spinning disk storage.

Kodak's Health Group demonstrated its new CARESTREAM solutions that deliver improved workflow and information sharing and include a storage solution. Kodak's CARESTREAM radiology solutions include PACS and RIS, and are designed to automate the diagnostic exam process and enable fast and efficient storage, distribution and on-demand retrieval.

KOM Networks' highlighted KOMworx, a suite of products that offer storage management software solutions with compliance, archiving, e-WORM (fixed content hard disk archiving), dynamic capacity management and information lifecycle management. By emulating optical media as hard disk, KOM archiving software offers seamless integration and native file system support for Windows, Unix and OpenVMS platforms.

Network Appliance (NetApp) showcased its newest disk-based solution - FAS3020, which complements short-term imaging and long-term archiving. The FAS3000 systems fully extend the value of the FlexVol capabilities built into Data ONTAP 7G by increasing disk performance even for small data volumes. FlexVol technology can reduce storage management costs and increase radiologists' storage utilization by up to 50 percent. Combined with the new SATA storage option, primary storage costs can be reduced by more than half.

ODS Medical announced its newly expanded line of CD/DVD DICOM Image Recording and Storage Systems including:

• PACScomm Lite - an economical CD/DVD  manual burn, print system;
• PACScomm Plus - a combination CD/DVD  Recording and Storage System with 400GB RAID  storage;
• PACScomm Prime - a full compliment of both  inkjet and Rimage thermal print options; and,
• PACScomm Premier - a software option for  those who want to install the PACScomm software on their existing Rimage  burners.

Plasmon recently announced that its UDO libraries are now part of Agfa's IMPAX archive management system. GE Healthcare also has been shipping Plasmon's UDO Archive Appliance as a fully-integrated component of its Centricity PACS for about three months.

Plasmon's archive solution is built on compatability so that users do not have to move their legacy data - allowing for investment protection.

Rorke Data launched its Galaxy series of integrated storage servers and NAS products, with capacities ranging from 1 to 24TB and Linux or Microsoft embedded operating systems. Rorke featured its connectivity to Fujitsu's newly launched 10Gb Ethernet switch. Also featured was the Galaxy HDX 4Gb RAID series with 500GB SATA II drives, which is designed to exceed the high-bandwidth/high-capacity data storage requirements for today's imaging applications and NexSAN's secure and scalable Assureon storage appliance.

Sony Business Solutions and Systems highlighted its DVO-1000MD, a DVD recorder that features a built in hard drive. The recorder features DVORECOVERY and DVOFAST-the ability to re-capture lost video due to an accidental power outage and to remove a recorded disk in less than two minutes. The DVO-1000MD employs industry standard MPEG 2 video compression to capture images with exceptional clarity. The DVO-1000MD utilizes a 80 gigabyte hard drive to store up to 30 hours of video.

Sorna Corp. showcased its LiteBox viewing and OpenLiteBox Administrator PACS-to-PACS image transfer software. The FilmX LiteBox DICOM Viewer is optimized for rapid, efficient display and clinical review of diagnostic images. OpenLiteBox software is the licensable version of the LiteBox viewer that is embedded on every FilmX CD or DVD. Sorna also showcased its new generation of FilmX recording systems, powered by eXpedo software.

Sun Microsystems bought StorageTek for $4.1 billion in June to make storage a more dominant component of its business. Its solution now revolves around the ability to get information at a reasonable cost and in a reasonable timeframe.

Sungard introduced its new Service for Medical Images, a study management service to store and access digital radiological images from a secure SunGard archive. It also provides DICOM- and PACS-compatible medical image archiving and retrieval services.

TDK Electronics Corp. showcased its DURABIS coating that is 100 times more scratch-resistant than standard DVD. The company also introduced the DMC-1000, a new product in its DMC line that is not as robust but offers a lower price point and the ability to upgrade to a burner with a printer.