Nexenta Signs ZFS Co-creator for Its Advisory Board

Nexenta, a fast-rising provider of open storage software based on the Sun Microsystems-developed Zettabyte File System [ZFS], announced that Bill Moore, the co-creator of ZFS, has joined the Nexenta’s advisory board.

Nothing like having the originator of your key tech engine sitting in your virtual meeting room whenever you need him. Looks like a pretty good move for the young company, which is already making noise in this sector.

For the last three years, ZFS has been one of the hottest storage virtualization technologies in the world. The fact that Sun is now “a viral body in a strange host” (the words of former Sun thought leader James Gosling, who this month resigned from Oracle, which now owns Sun) won’t affect ZFS, which is freely downloadable for anybody who knows how to use it.

Open systems storage combines open-source software with industry-standard arrays and controllers. It also can connect disparate existing systems across a data center using open standards.

Nexenta’s products are disruptive to the conventionals, because they are enterprise-class, open standards-based, and much cheaper than proprietary packages from companies like EMC, CEO Evan Powell told eWEEK. Powell said his Mountain View, Calif.-based company has more than 20,000 total users and about 975 license sales in a mere two years of existence [their anniversary is this month].

Nexenta’s NexentaCore operating system combines the industrial-strength power of Sun’s OpenSolaris with Linux and its stack of ready-to-run applications. Nexenta also offers storage efficiency capabilities such as in-line deduplication, capacity monitoring and reporting.

A few biz stats claimed by Nexenta: –The company chalked up a 740 percent increase in full-year revenue from its first year. –It recorded a 630 percent increase in quarterly sales in Q4 2009 over the previous year. –It added 50 partners worldwide. –It’s going international, too. Sales in Europe, Middle East, and Africa [EMEA] grew from 10 percent to over 25 percent of overall sales YOY, Powell said.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this company.