Dell, Inc. has announced a new digital storage consolidation system that it has named the PowerVault MD3000i. 

Based on an iSCSI standard, PowerVault is a storage area network (SAN) array that operates using a company’s existing Ethernet network.  According to the statistics from IDC, in many smaller companies digital data generation is beginning to exceed digital storage capacity.

Focusing on storage needs does seem to be a smart business move for Dell, given the cutthroat competition currently in the PC manufacturing market space.  Dell believes the PowerVault MD3000i will be a good solution for small and medium-sized businesses that lack the financial resources to devote to advanced storage technologies.

The PowerVault MD3000i can support up to 16 hosts and is marketed specifically at small businesses that are generating lots of data but do not employ an IT staff.  The PowerVault MD3000i in a fully configured system is priced at US$13,000.