16 Hot Companies Running Under the Radar

by Chris Preimesberger

Coraid EtherDrive offers a complete rewrite of old-generation storageware. It consists of a flexible tier of high-performance scale-out storage that eschews most of the hardware (controllers, routers, cabling) that fills up conventional systems because??íthe software takes care of everything. Coraid claims to lower operating expenses and provide substantial pricing advantage over legacy Fibre Channel systems because it doesn’t use much hardware.

Delphix virtualizes databases. It makes the first server that can create virtual copies of databases to run concurrently on disk. This allows database??íadministrators to duplicate an entire database—no matter what size it may be—compress it and then run it on the Delphix server. This new-generation server enables any Oracle database to be set free, yet it remains tethered to operational duplicates for upgrades, fixes and routine maintenance without consuming server and storage resources. This changes the whole idea of the formerly intractable enterprise database.

KineticD, formerly called Data Deposit Box, is a next-generation cloud storage, recovery and access service designed for small and midsize businesses. Users of its popular KineticSecure and KineticExtend cloud-based services can now use an iPhone and iPad app to access valuable data files and applications securely from any location. It’s winning plaudits as being among the easiest and most secure cloud storage services available.

Xsigo I/O Director virtualizes I/O to speed up all IT processes. It uses specialized processors and Infiniband or Ethernet connectivity to overcome the limitations of regular server I/O by virtualizing the flow of data through a system. Xsigo I/O Director consolidates cabling and replaces multiple physical network and storage interfaces (network interface cards and host bus adapters) with virtual resources that appear to applications and operating systems exactly as their physical counterparts.

With cloud computing systems now out of the realm of hype and becoming reality in the data center, management of these—in cooperation with existing onsite systems—is becoming the next big thing. Companies won’t ditch all they’ve invested in over the years for a complete cloud system. Akorri makes virtual infrastructure performance and capacity management for the dynamic data center that ensures performance and optimizes utilization and operations of virtual and physical server and storage infrastructure.

Virsto (the name comes from “virtual storage”) wants to do for virtualized storage systems what the hypervisor did for servers: Make them more efficient so they handle workloads faster and in a less-costly fashion. Data gets scrambled as if in a blender when it travels from servers through pipelines to a hypervisor and then into storage containers. Reassembling increasing amounts of data wears heavily on a conventional system because it takes extra time—and more cost—to straighten all the bits out and get them put back together so they can be used. Virsto’s secret sauce does this.

This is a very personalized cloud storage service with 24/7 phone and e-mail support that runs quietly in the background, protects all your data via encryption and a virtual private network, and mirrors it in two data centers. If you need to call BUMI, you’ll be connected to an experienced engineer who understands your backups and knows how to help you—not someone providing scripted responses that don’t pertain to your situation. Personal service is what the company??ístrives for.

Egenera’s PAN Manager is a highly regarded, next-generation data management package. It features high availability for any type of physical and virtual server; works with converged infrastructures to make HA universal; and features verifiable disaster recovery for any workload—including mixed OS/network/server environments. PAN Manager also offers rapid provisioning with infrastructure profiles defined with a mouse. You can build servers in minutes in a unified computing system and can set up cloud infrastructure with a self-healing cloud foundation.

ProofPoint provides cloud-enabled e-mail security, compliance, and e-discovery through software, appliances, and SaaS. Organizations worldwide are using it as an on-demand delivery system to protect against spam and viruses, safeguard privacy, encrypt sensitive information, and archive messages for easier management and discovery.

MarkLogic makes an XML-based database server for unstructured information that is designed to replace traditional relational database servers and search engines at a portion of the time and cost of conventional IT. MarkLogic Server is able to deliver content applications that meet a broader range of user requirements by fully leveraging the content’s XML structure.

Kaviza VDI-in-a-Box is a plug-and-play virtual desktop system that basically anyone can get up and running for a small to midsize business. It truly is an automated turnkey way to do it. You install the software on a commodity server, and it just finds all the nodes automatically. When Kaviza is running, the virtual desktop runs in its own browser-type window with all the application functionality needed. Little or no latency is apparent. Users can continue to use their local applications as normal.

Egnyte Local Cloud on network-attached storage overcomes the justifiable concern IT managers have about a single point of failure by synchronizing stored files on the NAS with the cloud file share. ELC basically fits between online backup offerings such as Carbonite and Mozy and cloud-based infrastructure offerings such as the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud. ELC is a replacement only for an on-premises file server.

Dropbox is a cloud storage application for mobile devices. For example, users may capture, upload and share photos and video on Android, or enjoy a full-screen reading experience on the iPhone or iPad. Dropbox mirrors files. When you drop one into your iPhone, it also will put a copy on your laptop if you desire.

NComputing offers a performance-based, hardwired VDI that it says is ideal for classrooms and groups of users of up to 30 or so. Virtually no latency is apparent. NComputing’s “secret sauce” device, which costs about $70, bolts to the back of a monitor, allowing that monitor/keyboard/mouse/speaker “station” to perform as if it had its own processor box beside it.

nlyte provides as deep a look into the workings of a data center—as well as its physical environs—as any company in the business. nlyte’s software keeps track of everything—all data center assets, their storage and memory capacities, power usage, carbon footprints, you name it. It then records all this information, analyzes it and gives reports on demand that a corporation can use to predict future trends in all of the above.

IntraLinks facilitates the secure, compliant and auditable exchange of critical information inside and outside the enterprise. This is becoming more important by the day, as the constant threat of hackers keeps growing. IntraLinks brings together content, collaboration and workflow tools to deliver enterprise-class software.