ds.
thanks, i've only recently discovered NTAP, mostly via EMC's rearview mirror. getting smart on the upstart competition so to speak. nevertheless, i'm not sporting blinders and am definitely intrigued by this one, its management cadre, and slew of positive press (e.g., OEM agreement with dell, smartmoney, fool, investor). one question: did you note EMC's recent release on their celerra file server?
go2net.newsalert.com
granted, it's first in two years since this product debuted (and requires symmetrix as well), but it tells me that perhaps these two will be converging on the same market sooner than anticipated.
as the defacto board post leader, i'm curious of your long-term outlook on NTAP's technology and business prospects. for example, do you see their cache products beginning to account for a larger slice of their revenue pie? of their competitors, whom do you think represents the greatest threat (SUNW, HP)? (i note that ASPX has severely stumbled.) finally, is their customer base well diversified? i know they have a few major fortune 500's like aol, cisco, motorola, and yahoo; however, does one or do a handful represent a significant percentage? (forgive me, while i never pulled the trigger, i had a near-death experience with CIEN.)
caveat: i've just recently requested an investor's packet and have yet to fully delve into the 10-k.
thanks. your opinion is valued,
-chris. |
