WSU opens Center for Storage Networking Research

Wichita State University and LSI Corp. are opening the Center for Storage Networking Research (CSNR) on the WSU campus.

The center was formally unveiled at a ceremony Thursday, Dec. 3, at the National Institute for Aviation Research building on the WSU campus.

The CSNR represents a collaboration between industry and academia to facilitate state-of-the-art theoretical and experimental research in storage networking.

The research will focus on storage system advancements in areas such as performance, scalability, energy efficiency and security, and will potentially influence the design and evolution of future data storage systems.

The CSNR will operate under the university’s Advanced Networking Research Center.

“Data storage has a tremendous impact on our everyday lives, ranging from the videos we post on the Internet to emergency scenarios where first responders require immediate access to information,” said Ravi Pendse, associate provost and chief information officer for WSU. “WSU is pleased to be collaborating with our longtime industry partner and market leader LSI to form the CSNR, where together we will strive to deliver next-generation storage breakthroughs and enhance the learning and career opportunities of WSU students.”

It is estimated that the amount of digital information produced worldwide will increase tenfold from 2006 to 2011. Driving this data explosion are devices and applications such as digital cameras, medical imaging and record archiving, digital surveillance, multimedia and customer information systems.

Helping enterprises, educational institutions and government agencies keep pace with storing, securing, managing and governing this content will be a critical requirement for next-generation storage systems and networks.

"LSI is excited to be working with WSU and its students to enable research that will drive the development of leading-edge storage and networking technologies that will meet next-generation customer requirements," said Bret Weber, chief architect and fellow, Engenio Storage Group, LSI. "The CSNR will also provide an opportunity to further develop and hone the skills of the university's engineering students through hands-on experience and education that will enable them to hit the ground running after graduation."

The CSNR provides WSU students and staff with access to state-of-the-art equipment from LSI and Cisco Systems, such as storage controllers, drive arrays and Fibre Channel and Ethernet switches.