gus, et al.
would you care to comment?
off to don my flame-retardant suit ...
-chris.
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Sun Microsystems to Unveil New Computer Storage Software
Palo Alto, California, Dec. 14 (Bloomberg) -- Sun Microsystems Inc., inventor of the Java programming language, plans later today to unveil similar software designed to take on market leader EMC Corp. in the computer-storage business.
The new software, called StoreX, lets all types of computers get information from all kinds of data-storage devices without having to write new software for them to communicate. StoreX is based on Java, a language used to write programs that can run on various types of computers.
StoreX could help Sun loosen EMC's grip on the lucrative market for corporate computer-storage systems, analysts said. EMC makes file-cabinet-sized machines full of hard disks that store massive amounts of data, from payrolls to airline reservations. "If (StoreX) is executed to perfection, it's a potential EMC killer," said Jon Oltsik, a storage analyst at Forrester Research Inc. in Cambridge, Massachusetts and an ex-EMC employee.
EMC pulled ahead of International Business Machines Corp. in recent years to become the leader in the fast-growing market for big storage devices. Customers say its systems rarely fail. EMC systems also use innovative software that lets companies replicate and manipulate data easily.
Much of EMC's profit comes from its proprietary software, where Sun hopes to make inroads. EMC sells hardware and software for storage systems as a package. Sun is hoping StoreX will become a standard in the industry, so that Sun's software can run on hardware made by Compaq Computer Corp. or Hewlett-Packard Co., for example.
If it becomes widely used, StoreX could create a market for new storage software from Sun and other companies. Sun plans to charge a nominal fee for StoreX and then make money on software programs that run on StoreX and on the large storage devices. "We want this out in the industry everywhere," said Jeff Allen, Sun vice president for network storage, who joined Sun in January after four years at EMC.
Allen says StoreX will improve the operation of data-storage systems by helping different programs work better with one another. It will also let software developers write storage programs that run on all different computer systems, Allen said.
The key for Sun is getting other companies to adopt StoreX as a standard, analysts said. Oracle Corp., Seagate Technology Inc., Veritas Software Corp., Quantum Corp. and several others already endorse the new technology.
If Compaq, H-P and other big names adopt StoreX, it will be a "huge threat" to EMC, said John McArthur, a storage-systems analyst at International Data Corp. in Framingham, Massachusetts. |
