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NEW! Top 10 Storage Startups to Watch: Page 19 of 24

The Faculty's IT officer John Edwards told Byte and Switch that StorMagic was chosen over NetApp based on cost, something which is crucial for smaller firms, particularly at a time of growing economic uncertainty.

Despite the fact that StorMagic is still in its relative infancy, the firm's founder and CEO, Hans O'Sullivan, has a solid pedigree of building -- and eventually selling -- startups. Prior to launching StorMagic, O'Sullivan was founder of storage subsystem specialist Eurologic and virtualization vendor Elipsan, which were both respectively acquired by Adaptec, in a $30 million deal in 2003 and a $19.5 million deal in 2004.

StorMagic is still keeping details of its financials under wraps, although the initial signs suggest that the startup is gaining traction. The vendor unveiled its channel program in December and recently clinched a deal to sell its wares to market research specialist Weiss Group.

The startup also has agreements in place with three "well-known" universities, according to Mike Stolz, StorMagic's vice president of sales and marketing. He adds that a partnership with a major European reseller is imminent. This will bring StorMagic's total reseller list to nine.

Earlier this month, the startup also moved into a new office in Eden Prairie, Minn., citing the demands of its growing sales, marketing, and support teams. "We're moving along in our hiring plans," says Stolz. "We have added four salespeople recently, bringing our total headcount to 25, and I am adding staff on a constant basis."