Supplier snapshots
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The key enterprise storage vendors and their main areas of focus.
Adaptec
As one of the veterans of the storage sector, Adaptec has diversified beyond its focus on SCSI technologies (that enable end users to connect their PCs, Macs, servers and workstations to storage devices and peripherals) to offer low-cost RAID systems for DAS environments and SANs.
Brocade
Brocade is the largest vendor of Fibre Channel SAN switches, with 69% market share. It also provides SAN directors, for connecting servers and storage devices into Fibre Channel SANs, and SAN management tools.
CommVault
CommVault provides the backup, recovery and data migration/arching tools for Unix, Linux, Netware and major database environments.
Computer Associates
Computer Associates is one of the largest storage software vendors. Its origins and strengths lie in backup software (covering everything from mainframes and servers to PCs), but it provides tools for controlling SAN and NAS environments, storage resource management software, storage automation tools and a media management package.
DataCore
One of the pioneers of SAN software, DataCore provides a SAN virtualisation engine (licensed by various storage vendors) and tools for SAN management and SAN upgrades
Dell
Dell has become one of the largest storage systems vendors to enterprises with its PowerVault line of DAS, NAS and SAN, and line of rack mountable tape drives and libraries. Its high end systems are designed by EMC.
EMC
The gorilla of enterprise storage, EMC made its fortune selling direct attached storage for mainframes and high-end Unix systems. The company has aggressively moved into the mid-range of storage (since acquiring the Clariion range from Data General) and SAN and NAS product lines, offering both systems and software for networked storage. As part of a wider push into information lifecycle management, EMC has bought Legato (for its expertise in backup software) and Documentum (for its documents management software).
FalconStor
A pioneer of IP storage networking, FalconStor provides the IPStor platform for managing SAN and NAS environments that use heterogeneous storage devices. The software powers its own iSCSI Storage Server and a virtual tape library.
Hewlett-Packard
When all types of storage are counted, HP is the undisputed market leader. Its vast line up sold under the StorageWorks badge includes direct attached disk systems, NAS devices and SAN systems. At the high-end it sells Hitachi Data Systems' Lightning range under licence. The push into networked storage - supported by sophisticated tools from its OpenView suite - is billed as creating 'storage grids' and supporting information lifecycle management.
Hitachi Data Systems
HDS has been a driving force in high-end disk arrays for over two decades. The company's Lightning line of systems took the technology and market leadership position from archrival EMC, and the two have fought for dominance ever since. In addition to high-end systems for DAS or SAN architectures, the company also provides mid-range, modular storage systems, under the Thunder brand, as well as software for ensuring business continuity and for storage management.
IBM
The grandaddy of enterprise storage, IBM has a vast catalogue of storage products, from mainframe DAS and high-end SAN systems to microdrives and tape backup products. Its TotalStorage and FAStT disk storage servers are accompanied by a large portfolio of infrastructure management, archiving, backup and hierarchical storage management software sourced from within the storage division itself and from the company's Tivoli systems management unit.
McData
McData ranks among the leading vendors of SAN switches and SAN directors, with several major systems vendors reselling its products. Two recent acquisitions of Nishan and Sanera take it into IP SANs.
Microsoft
Windows Server 2003 contains several storage utilities, including tools for backup and shadow copying.
Network Appliance
The company that grew to dominate the NAS market has expanded up the food chain to offer disk arrays suitable for Fibre Channel SANs, iSCSI and high-end NAS systems.
Qlogic
A key player in the market for Fibre Channel SANs that has broadened its base to exploit emerging demand for iSCSI SAN switches.
Quantum
Previously a major force in disk drives, Quantum now specialises in tape backup systems and libraries.
Softek
Independent of parent company Fujitsu after a management buy-out, Softek is acknowledged as one of the pioneers of SAN management software, offering virtualisation, provisioning and related products.
Storage Technology
One of the veterans of high-end disk storage, StorageTek has successfully grabbed the lion's share of the market for enterprise-class backup systems, providing tape libraries and drives, plus virtual disk systems.
Sun Microsystems
Sun offers a top to bottom line-up of storage products that cover workstations to high-end Unix systems. It has always provided storage utilities, but in recent years the company has acquired and developed a strong hand in resource management software designed to optimise networked storage. For customers with requirements for high-end disk arrays, Sun distributes HDS's Lightning product.
Veritas
The runaway leader in enterprise backup software, Veritas is aggressively broadening its storage management portfolio, with a strong push into networked storage management.
