10 Hot Emerging Vendors For November 2010

Ready For Primetime

Step right up and get what may very well be your first look at 10 hot new IT vendors that are exploding onto the scene. Each month CRN profiles 10 new IT vendors that are looking to shake up the industry in various technology segments, from security to cloud computing, from software to hardware.

These startups know the importance of the channel and are looking to align with valued channel partners to get their names and products out.

Take a look and get introduced to 10 vendors that are ready for prime time.

Ciphertex

Company: Ciphertex
Tech Sector: Security/Storage
Key Product: CX Ranger


The Lowdown: Ciphertex Data Security, founded in Chatsworth, Calif. in 2010, is starting to turn heads with powerful, affordable data security and secure network attached storage products and services for businesses around the world. Ciphertex combines hardware-based encryption with high capacity storage for enterprises that require increased security around digital media and data mobility.

The company's flagship product, the CX Ranger (shown here, right), is a portable encrypted RAID system, touting flexible capacity and secure mobility, and is compatible with any operating system supporting SATA devices. In addition to its comprehensive line of data security products, Ciphertex provides data security services in the areas of assessment, intervention and data protection.

Akiban Technologies

Company: Akiban Technologies
Tech Sector: Software
Key Product: (Product not yet released)


The Lowdown: In 2011 the world will generate 10-times the amount of data it did in 2006, according to market researcher IDC. Boston-based Akiban is developing database virtualization technology that will make it possible to scale up maxed-out relational database systems in virtualized or cloud-computing environments.

"Breaking through the SQL scalability barrier" is how the stealthy startup's Website describes its approach, which will distribute data across servers, eliminate the cost of frequently used SQL joins and automate schema optimization -- all without the need to change application code. Founded in 2009, Akiban is funded by venture capital firms Foundation Capital and North Bridge.

eCert

Company: eCert
Tech Sector: E-mail security
Key Product: The eCert Email Domain Certification Service


The Lowdown: Founded in 2008, eCert is more of a services coalition than a vendor, per se. eCert is a collaboration between large financial service companies and major ISPs to improve security against email phishing. The members of eCert include the world's largest financial institutions and other major providers of data-intensive online services. eCert helps members protect their email traffic from fraud by establishing fundamental protections for financial services domains.

eCert establishes the identity of real e-mail traffic from members of a social network and eliminates common forms of fraudulent email that appear to be sent from these high profile and often targeted domains. eCert partners with major ISPs, security and infrastructure vendors to build a trusted channel for email. The eCert Email Domain Certification Service protects customers from major forms of phishing.

Joulex

Company: Joulex
Tech Sector: Power Management
Key Product: JouleX Energy Manager (JEM)


The Lowdown: While the market for green technologies has grown in recent years, much of the product focus has been on the ultra-expensive data center. But Joulex has taken a different focus by developing technology that's designed to manage and reduce the energy usage of network-connected devices such as PCs, printers, VoIP phones and network switching devices. The Atlanta-based company was founded in 2009 and launched its flagship product, JouleX Energy Manager (JEM) last spring, which the company says can reduce energy costs by up to 60 percent through monitoring, analyzing and managing usage.

LightSquared

Company: LightSquared
Tech Sector: Networking
Key Product: Satellite-backed 4G LTE Network


The Lowdown: LightSquared is constructing a "state-of-the-art open wireless broadband network" that's based on 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology and backed up by a network of satellites. Sounds futuristic, but the Reston, Va.-based firm also plans to sell wireless broadband capacity not just to ISPs and cable companies, but also to retailers, device makers and content providers.

LightSquared has inked an 8-year, $7 billion contract with Nokia Siemens Networks to build a network of 40,000 cellular base stations that LightSquared claims will blanket 92 percent of the U.S. population by 2015. The company intends to shake up the status quo in the U.S. telecommunications market. "LightSquared will be a disruptive force in the U.S. wireless landscape by democratizing wireless broadband services," said Sanjiv Ahuja, Chairman and CEO, in a statement on the company's Website.

Carriers have been dragging their feet on bringing broadband to rural areas, and LightSquared is leveraging the FCC's National Broadband Plan's identification of broadband as a key long term driver for economic growth. LightSquared says its massive network build-out will create more than 100,000 direct and indirect private sector jobs in the next five years.

When LightSquared unveiled its ambitious network build-out plan in July, FCC Chair Julius Genachowski said he was "pleased" with the company's mission. "Today’s announcement shows that FCC policies are helping grow the U.S. economy by catalyzing investment and job creation," Genachowski said in a statement at the time.

HEROware

Company: HEROware
Tech Sector: Storage
Key Product: BCA and VBCA appliances for small business data protection


The Lowdown: San Clemente, Calif.-based HEROware was founded in 2008 by Lynn Shourds, president and CTO, who was a former employee of Double-Take Software. Shourds liked the Double-Take enterprise data protection software, and wanted to take it to SMBs. So after 10 years, he signed the first OEM deal with Double-Take and founded HEROware to marry the Double-Take offering with hardware as an appliance. It currently offers two versions. The BCA-SBS appliance protects a single Microsoft Small Business Server 2003 and 2008 server. The VBCA uses Microsoft's Hyper-V virtualization technology to replicate data on up to 20 servers running any version of Microsoft's server operating systems. The BCA and VBCA are sold primarily through smaller solution providers, especially members of SMB Nation, as well through MSPs.

Angel

Company: Angel
Tech Sector: Networking
Key Product: Angel 4 Customer Experience Platform


The Lowdown: Angel may be 10 years old, but the company re-invented itself this year with the launch of its official interactive voice response (IVR) platform for VARs; its first apps for the Apple iPhone, iPad and Android devices; and by dropping the ".com" from its moniker (it used to be called Angel.com). Angel specializes in contact center applications, IVR customer experience technologies and CRM applications.

In late August, the company launched Angel 4.0, an updated version of its SaaS customer management platform that offers IT managers voice authentication, text response, address capture and other functions that fall under the IVR banner, with all of those functions rolled up under a single, unified hosted call center package (Angel's 4 Customer Experience Platform) -- the first time that type of package is available through its VARs. Most recent for Angel is an app for Apple iOS And Android-based devices that places the 4 features on those devices through a mobile interface, through which call center supervisors can perform their tasks from anywhere.

SeaMicro

Company: SeaMicro
Tech Sector: Hardware
Key Product: SM10000 Server


The Lowdown: Silicon Valley start-up SeaMicro has developed the SM10000, an Internet-optimized x86-server that reduces the power and space servers use by 75 percent. In development for three years, the SM10000 is specifically optimized for the workloads and traffic patterns of the Internet. It integrates 512 Intel Atom processors with Ethernet switching, server management and application load-balancing to create a "plug and play" standards-based server.

SeaMicro, founded in 2007, has raised $25 million from strategic partners and venture capitalists including Khosla Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Crosslink Capital. The company was also awarded a $9.3 million grant from the Department of Energy.

Morphlabs

Company: Morphlabs
Tech Sector: Cloud Computing
Key Product: mCloud Controller


The Lowdown: Manhattan Beach, Calif.-based cloud computing player Morphlabs' key mission is to help build private clouds. And with its flagship mCloud Controller, a cloud platform delivered as an appliance, Morphlabs is giving users a way to convert commodity hardware to a cloud environment. The mCloud Controller ties in Enterprise Cloud Architecture technology, which provides the building blocks and binding components to build a private cloud. The goal is to convert the existing data center into a private cloud. Morphlabs, founded in 2006, also offers mCloud Server, a cloud-in-a-box offering, and mCloud On-Demand, a public cloud platform.

Soonr

Company: Soonr
Tech Sector: Cloud Computing
Key Product: Soonr Workplace documents and file sharing


The Lowdown: Campbell, Calif.-based Soonr, which launched in 2005, offers a host of mobile cloud services including Remote Access, Secure Backup and Team Collaboration that the company said lets users store files in the cloud and access them via their smartphone, netbook or computer. Its suite of Web services let users search, print, fax, share, comment and work in documents from any device and online workspaces where users can collaborate.

In July, Soonr launched a reseller program offers VARs private branding, high margins and training via Soonr University. Additional partner benefits include a free Soonr Pro account, end-user account control, marketing collateral and priority support.

Check out the complete list of CRN's emerging vendors.