Virtualization 100: 15 Storage Virtualization Vendors To Watch

Keeping An Eye Toward Storage Virtualization

The storage virtualization space is crackling with life these days, and it's not hard to see why. Not only does storage touch all branches of the virtualization tree, it's also a space where innovation is booming and new startups are appearing with new approaches to common problems.

HP and Dell's protracted steel cage battle over 3PAR last year served as ample proof of the strategic importance of storage virtualization technology to industry giants. Following are 15 vendors from the CRN Virtualization 100 that are pushing the envelope in the storage virtualization space today.

BlueArc

San Jose, Calif.

Offers virtualization framework including virtual servers, file system virtualization, virtual storage pools. Products help companies increase size and scale of virtualization deployments without negatively impacting throughput, storage performance.

ConfigureSoft (EMC)

Colorado Springs, Colo.

Developer of server configuration, change and compliance management software. Acquired in 2009 by EMC, which uses technology to manage customers’ entire IT information across storage, networks, servers and applications.

Coraid

Redwood City, Calif.

Develops software and appliances based on the open-source ATA over Ethernet, which allows data on commodity SATA drives to be directly accessed over Ethernet networks without overhead of TCP/IP protocol used with iSCSI.

Datacore Software

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

SANsymphony-V software helps organizations optimize storage utilization as they consolidate servers and desktops with virtualization technology. Automates capacity management, performance management and data protection management.

Dot Hill

Longmont, Colorado

Longtime storage vendor entered virtualization last year with AssuredUVS, a storage appliance that virtualizes SAN and NAS storage under a common interface. Uses virtualization technology from Cloverleaf Communications acquisition.

Emulex

Costa Mesa, Calif.

LightPulse Virtual adapter optimizes efficiency and cuts cost of server virtualization in SAN environments. N-Port ID Virtualization addresses problems that arise when virtualized servers are sharing the same Fibre Channel attachments.

FalconStor

Melville, N.Y.

Network Storage Server solution features storage provisioning and virtualization, as well as data protection. Can use as gateway appliances that virtualize existing storage or as virtual appliances for VMware environments.

Gluster

Sunnyvale, Calif.

Sells virtual storage appliances with GlusterFS, an open source distributed file system, in a virtual machine container that requires very little configuration. Integrates with existing KVM, VMware, and Xen environments, enabling organizations to deploy virtual storage in the way they deploy virtual machines.

Hitachi Data Systems

Santa Clara, Calif.

Virtual storage hardware/software platform, combined with Hitachi Command Suite, addresses unstructured data, siloed IT environments. Can adapt data storage infrastructures for performance, capacity and multivendor storage to deliver ROI.

Nasuni

Natick, Mass.

Nasuni Filer is a downloadable virtual NAS appliance that runs on a local server, monitors the cache and directs traffic to the cloud. Includes interface for selecting cloud provider, managing volumes and performance, and using file protection tools.

NetApp

Sunnyvale, Calif.

Sells storage for desktop, server virtualization; offers guarantee customers will use 50 percent less storage with NetApp than traditional storage. Also provides storage for Citrix, Microsoft, VMware environments. Bolstered portfolio with Akorri buy.

PHD Virtual

Philadelphia

Appliances use virtual machines to back up virtual machines; provides backup for Citrix and VMware deployments on the server side and on desktop side. Doesn’t require separate physical backup/proxy servers, additional software or agents.

Pivot3

Austin, Texas

vBank packages VMware ESXi virtual server environment with dedicated local compute resources and uses virtual machines inside an IP SAN. Claims integration of virtual servers, scale-out storage resources save 40 percent on physical servers, storage.

Quorum Labs

Fremont, Calif.

onQ appliance provides enterprise-grade business continuity without complexity or cost of traditional solutions; restores applications and data within minutes. Can be used locally for high availability and remotely for disaster recovery, or both.

StoneFly

Hayward, Calif.

Applies virtualization in development of iSCSI and IP SAN products. Storage Concentrator Virtual Machine and Enterprise Storage Services products create virtual IP SAN storage as a virtual machine in pre-existing or new server deployments.