Storage Appliance for University of North Dakota

The University of North Dakota is seeking bids for a storage appliance that meets stringent technical specifications. The solution must include enterprise-grade compute resources, modern and scalable architecture, and ECC-protected memory. Network connectivity should support high-speed enterprise storage workloads with a minimum of 25Gb Ethernet and redundant paths. The appliance needs to provide approximately 1.2-1.5 PB of raw storage capacity using enterprise-grade media, with clear definitions of raw versus usable capacity. Scalability in both capacity and performance is required, with acceptable architectures being hybrid (SSD/HDD) or HDD-based. The system must support open or industry-standard storage platforms (e.g., Linux-based storage, ZFS) and common protocols like NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and object storage, while avoiding proprietary lock-in where possible. High availability is critical, requiring redundancy in controllers, power supplies, and networking paths, along with data protection features such as replication and snapshots. Centralized management tools for monitoring, alerting, and reporting, along with role-based access control and API-based management, are necessary. Compatibility with Starfish Unstructured Data Management software is a mandatory requirement. Vendors must describe expansion limits, upgrade paths, and the expected product lifecycle and support model, ensuring incremental expansion is possible without full system replacement. The product must be received before August 31, 2026.