Top Ten Private Storage Networking Companies: Page 10 of 26

First off, the company is well funded ($45 million to date) by some credible names,
including Bessemer Venture
Partners and Charles River Ventures (see Pirus Scores Another $27 Million).

So much for the money – what about the technology? Pirus is developing a
carrier-class, NEBs-compliant storage networking switch that supports IP,
gig Ethernet, and Fibre Channel – and that should gain it admission to one
of the sweetest spots in the market: the storage networks being
built by startup SSPs and incumbents alike.

But where Pirus really comes into its own is in the personnel
department. Specifically, its CEO’s name sounds like a yummy ice cream: Rich
Napolitano. We think this is ever so important. (Tip: When being introduced
to Rich, try replying, “No thanks, I'm on a diet!” Just for chuckles.)

Pirus’s closest startup competitor is probably Cereva Networks Inc. – another
of our Top Tenners.

Pirus is higher up the list because, unlike Cereva, its switch is
designed for heterogeneous networks, where it can be used to hook up storage
units from different vendors. Cereva, on the other hand, is selling a
switch’n’storage-bundled package. Byte and Switch believes that the majority
of service providers will prefer a product that can “play the field” and
interoperate with their installed equipment.