Earth Rangers Builds a Green Future with Pillar Data Systems

Pillar distributed the press release below, announcing Earth Rangers as a Pillar customer. The non-profit organization standardized on the Pillar Axiom to deliver leading storage efficiency, performance and scalability. The link to the release and full text are below.
http://www.pillardata.com/resources/press-releases/2009/0217-Earth-Rangers-Builds-a-Green-Future-with-Pillar-Data-Systems.shtm
San Jose, Calif. – February 17, 2009 – Pillar Data Systems, the leading provider of Application-Aware storage systems, today announced that Earth Rangers, a charitable organization with a mission to inspire children to have a positive impact on the environment, selected the Pillar Axiom as the storage system of choice to offer a complete, green solution for its data center that is 10 times smaller than other data centers that serve the same purpose. It’s expected to save over 100,500 kWh per year which translates into more than 24 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Earth Rangers believes that children have both the power and desire to change the world and the right to inherit a healthy planet. The non-profit organization exercises the same mission with its innovative headquarters. The Earth Rangers Center currently uses 79 percent less energy than a typical building its size by implementing leading-edge technologies to keep costs down and conserve resources. But its new, interactive Web site meant adding more NAS devices and using more energy. As part of its philosophy of sustainability, the organization wanted a viable alternative that would support its growth plans as well as its green goals.
"We needed a system that would use as little power as possible while giving us the performance we need, and at the same time, would be scalable and expandable. Pillar’s commitment to sustainability and the Axiom’s capabilities in efficiency and virtualization were very important in our decision-making process," said Rob DiStefano, IT systems manager, Earth Rangers. "When we learned we could cut energy consumption and costs in half while doubling our storage capacity, we knew we found the perfect fit. Pillar helps us practice what we preach."
Earth Rangers looked at other storage suppliers, but after doing some research, learned that Pillar was the world’s most efficient storage system. There was no contest when Earth Rangers learned of Pillar’s guaranteed 80-percent utilization rates. As measured by Pillar’s Efficiency Quotient (EQ), the Pillar Axiom delivers increased energy savings, but also savings in physical space, cooling requirements, and capacity and performance. "The Pillar Axiom was a natural choice for Earth Rangers," added DiStefano.
"Earth Rangers is taking a real lead in educating our children on the environment," said Bob Maness, vice president of worldwide marketing, Pillar Data Systems. "It’s great to see that society as a whole has embraced the green concept when it comes to technology, but Earth Rangers is successfully putting it into practice. They’re doing more than their fair share to pass on a better Earth to the generations to come and we’re glad to be a part of that effort."
With future online projects, Earth Rangers anticipates its storage needs to be in the multiple petabytes to accommodate video, 3D rendering, texture files, and more. The initial usable capacity of the company’s new Axiom is 30TB, but this will be expanded as needed. In addition to its online initiatives, the organization also plans to develop exhibits at its innovative corporate headquarters to showcase sustainable technologies and demonstrate the innovations the company uses to maximize its use of energy.