Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Technology Stocks : Son of SAN - Storage Networking Technologies -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: trendmastr who wrote (2422)	11/6/2000 7:38:11 PM
From: J Fieb	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

tmaster....how long before we read about a storge/storage networking sector fund? EMC Buys NAS OS Vendor For $300 Million (11/02/00, 4:19 p.m. ET) By Joseph F. Kovar, CRN EMC Corp. upped the ante in the storage arena with the acquisition of a network-attached storage (NAS) operating system vendor. In a $300 million stock swap, EMC, Hopkinton, Mass., acquired privately held CrosStor Software, which supplies NAS operating systems to several NAS vendors. NAS devices are essentially servers with direct-attached storage devices, all run by a proprietary operating system optimized for allowing access to data files over a LAN. Several NAS vendors have OEM deals with CrosStor, including Auspex Systems Inc. (stock: ASPX), ECCS Inc. (stock: ECCS), and Hewlett-Packard Co. (stock: HWP). CrosStor most recently introduced software aimed at tying NAS devices to storage area networks (SANs). An EMC spokesman said EMC acquired CrosStor because of its people and technology. EMC is moving swiftly into various aspects of the NAS and SAN market, and much of its success will depend on how quickly the company moves, he said. The spokesman would not discuss how the company plans to integrate CrosStor technology into its Symmetrix and Clariion SAN products or Celerra NAS products. Dave Hill, research director for storage and storage management at Aberdeen Group, said CrosStor has a good product line. Several aspects can be implemented into EMC's product line, especially the Clariion line the vendor got as part of last year's acquisition of Data General, he said. Hill said $300 million was a good price for CrosStor. "This is a key market. It's probably not a bad expenditure at all. When you think of the technology involved, you can't reinvent it," he said. However, he added that current CrosStor licensees might be looking over their shoulders. "If I were a licensee of CrosStor, the question is, 'What do I do now?'" said Hill. "They will need to update their functionality. And they also may compete with EMC. They might not want EMC to have access to the same technology they do." EMC has had a busy acquisition schedule recently. In August, the company acquired Avalon Consulting Group, a developer of software for the television broadcast industry. In January, EMC paid $50 million for privately held Terascape Software, a developer of storage performance software, mainly for Oracle database environments. EMC in December agreed to pay about $192 million in cash for Softworks, a global provider of enterprise data, storage, and performance management software. Shares of EMC (stock: EMC) climbed more than 5 percent to 95 15/16 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

To: trendmastr who wrote (2422)	11/9/2000 9:49:55 PM
From: J Fieb	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4808

tmaster, Gartner has a graphic for the current SAN landscape, but it should change in the coming months... SearchStorage Date: 09 Nov 2000 Rating: No Rating Tip Summary: By Alan Earls Everyone loves a gimmick. So Gartner decided to map their SAN vendor research to a matrix and give it a fancy name: the SAN Solution Magic Quadrant. But, gimmick or not, the quadrant does provide some clarity and a kind of "instant drill down" through the industry clutter. More specifically, the quadrant offers a very concise way of viewing the SAN world -- and making decisions about vendors. In essence, the quadrant is an X and Y axis corresponding, respectively, to "completeness of vision" and "ability to execute." Conveniently, one of the vendors that fared well under Gartner's witchcraft -- Compaq --- has a link to the quadrant and its results for all to see. But, Compaq wasn't the only company to come out looking good. EMC shared the leaders' square while HP and Dell shared the desirable position of "challengers," and StorageTek got the runners up label of "visionary." Confined to the niche square were IBM, Sun, MTI, and HDS. Gartner concludes, "We continue to advise users to only buy tested, certified, turnkey SAN solutions as the method of acquiring individual component vendors' products, so as to avoid compatibility, integration and support issues." Additionally, they note, "With the SAN market expected to grow to more than $50 billion by 2003, we expect vendor positions to change." Additional resources: View Gartner's SAN Solution Magic Quadrant at gartner.com