OnStor competes primarily through interoperability with SAN vendors. Although NetApp has recently pledged gateway support for other vendors hardware, it doesnt support EMC (see NetApp Makes Virtual Upgrade). And EMCs NAS gateways work only with its own SAN arrays. OnStor, in contrast, supports SAN arrays from EMC, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), HP, IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM), Sun Microsystems Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), and other smaller vendors. For management, OnStor uses what it calls virtual servers that allow storage to be managed from one pool.
OnStor must expand its sales channel to succeed. Toor says it will add to its international channel, which now includes partners in the U.K. and Japan. He also expects to add sales and support personnel as well as channel partners in the United States.
Can it survive in a NAS world dominated by NetApp and EMC? A handful of VCs are betting on it. ComVentures led the latest funding round with previous investors Mayfield, Foundation Capital, and WorldView Technology Partners participating. ComVentures partner Jeb Miller rejoins OnStors board. Miller sat on the board when he was at Worldview before jumping to ComVentures.
Dave Raffo, Senior Editor, Byte and Switch
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