VERITAS Software Corporation (Nasdaq: VRTS) today highlighted 10 compelling reasons to use VERITAS solutions with Oracle? Database 10g implementations. As enterprises migrate to Oracle Database 10g, they’ll require robust software solutions to manage the performance and availability of new 10g implementations while continuing to manage complex heterogeneous environments that include other applications and databases. VERITAS offers a comprehensive range of industry leading availability, performance and automation software for Oracle Database 10g instances while enabling utility computing across heterogeneous IT environments. In addition, VERITAS Storage Foundation? 4.0 for Sun Solaris has been certified on Oracle Database 10g while other platforms are slated for certification in 2005.

Top Ten VERITAS Benefits

1. Increased Flexibility and Heterogeneity – The use of a common set of technologies is a prerequisite to single and multi-site datacenter management and enterprises typically do not have the extra system/storage administrator resources to learn and optimize point administration and management solutions for each application/platform/database. VERITAS software is heterogeneous and utilizes the same storage management and clustering technologies to support a broad range of industry leading applications and databases assuring hardware and database independence.

2. Reduced Storage Management Costs – VERITAS solutions enable system and storage administrators to take advantage of Oracle Database 10g while continuing to manage their heterogeneous storage environments, utilizing the tools and skills they have already mastered without the need to add any additional complexities to the database architecture. New tools in VERITAS Storage Foundation software such as Quality of Storage Service (QoSS) also allow administrators to identify and move unimportant or old files to less expensive storage without changing the way users or applications access the files.

3. Top Ten VERITAS Benefits – VERITAS Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC includes both volume level and file system level snapshot technologies. VERITAS Storage Foundation software is heterogeneous and does not lock administrators into selecting a single brand of storage array so off-host backup or development/quality assurance servers need not consume the same high performance, high cost storage as their production database counterparts. In addition, VERITAS solutions also allow incremental backups, advanced snapshot technology and instant recovery of data ensuring protection of database and application environments.

4. Application Performance Management – VERITAS i3™ application performance management software analyzes applications running on top of Oracle Database 10g instances in real-time, enabling administrators to pinpoint the root cause of application problems and correlate them across all application tiers, and provide recommendations on how to correct them before they impact users. Applications that perform at optimal levels translate into higher productivity for internal users and a better experience for external customers.

5. Database Performance – In Oracle distributed computing environments, information flows along diverse paths connecting a multitude of applications, database servers and storage subsystems. VERITAS enhances high-performance database I/O infrastructure with tools that provide database administrators insightful guidance into the source of application performance issues and real time options to remedy those issues.

6. Increased Availability – VERITAS’ Dynamic Multi-Pathing (DMP) functionality found in VERITAS Storage Foundation software has the widest storage array support in the industry allowing enterprises to effectively avoid single vendor lock in. New tools in VERITAS Cluster Server such as cluster simulator and the fire drill capabilities allow modeling and testing of Oracle Database 10g instances without impacting production systems improving the overall effectiveness of High Availability and Disaster Recovery planning.

7. All Data/File Types Treated Equally – The VERITAS Cluster File System allows for sharing of all types of files across all nodes in clustered datacenter environments. In addition to the Oracle data files used in the database, many other types of files are needed across all nodes in heterogeneous IT environments. VERITAS provides a single storage management solution that eliminates layers of complexity and eliminates ongoing administration headaches.

8. Protection from Split Brain and Database Corruption - Split Brain is a serious concern in Oracle database environments and occurs when nodes within a cluster lose communication with one another leading to database corruption. VERITAS Storage Foundation for Oracle RAC protects users from Split Brain with its innovative I/O Fencing technology protecting database integrity at the storage layer thereby ensuring that servers behave well and remain coordinated in accessing shared data files.

9. Utility Computing – Many customers are transitioning toward a utility computing model where data is always available, services are delivered at specified levels, and storage management is automated. VERITAS’ strategy for enabling utility computing achieves these goals and represents a natural progression from VERITAS' leadership in backup, storage management, and clustering software.

10. 15 Years of Innovation – VERITAS has a 15 year proven track record of success in the storage management, data protection and high availability markets. A majority of enterprise customers have selected VERITAS software to manage and protect their data and ensure the availability of business critical applications. This also means that customers utilizing VERITAS solutions will be able to find a steady stream of seasoned VERITAS administrators to manage their environments.

“VERITAS software works with what Oracle customers have today and provides a safe and easy transition for customers migrating toward emerging technologies like Oracle Database 10g and utility computing,” said Rob Soderbery, Vice President, Storage and Server Management Group, VERITAS Software. “For more than a decade, Oracle customers have trusted VERITAS to improve the performance and availability of mission critical applications. As customers make the move to Oracle Database 10g, VERITAS will continue to provide robust solutions that enterprises demand.”