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Top 10 Showcases Top Trends

In the latest Byte and Switch list of Top 10 Storage Startups to Watch, we've made an effort to profile not just noteworthy new companies in the storage space, but also the trends they accentuate.

After all, there's not much point in watching any startup unless it's got the potential to make an impact something that depends on solving meaningful problems.

So what are the problems? To figure that out, I have turned our Top 10 on its ear, listing the issues highlighted by each of the innovative suppliers we profiled. Here's the list, in no particular order:

  • Cheaper storage networking (StorMagic)
  • Speedier data delivery (Fusion-io, Nuova, Xsigo)
  • Reduced hardware footprint (Fusion-io, Nuova, Reldata)
  • Physical protection of data (IOSafe, Marner)
  • Replacement of silo-based software with services (Nirvanix)
  • Better management of data, especially email (Racemi, Teneros)

These general listings recall most of the top trends for 2008 we predicted at the start of the year. They are also interrelated and can apply to multiple suppliers.

Cheaper storage networking, for instance, can be achieved with virtualization, as implemented by vendors like Reldata. In some cases, services from the likes of Nirvanix are cheaper to run than silo-based applications, particularly in view of operating costs.

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