Wanted: Taxonomy Input

It's time again for Byte and Switch to update Who Makes What, our storage networking industry taxonomy. Introduced in 2003, the original report outlined the key product areas and listed major players in each.

Our purpose in updating "Who Makes What" is twofold. First, it's high time for an update. This is a volatile market, where many players come and go before a segment settles down. With areas like virtualization and SAN routing still in flux, a list that's more than a few months old is an outdated one.

Second, updating "Who Makes What" will be the starting point for a branding awareness survey to be conducted in a few weeks. That survey in turn will be the basis for a Heavy Reading report, a new iteration of the watershed Fall 2003 Storage Networking Market Perception Study.

So without further ado, we ask you to please dive in. Suggest revisions, via the message board below the article, not only to the lists included here but to the overall taxonomy itself. What product groups need to be added? We'll consider the addition of further product categories that represent a decently sized market with at least half a dozen players in it. Should any categories be consolidated? Eliminated?

Here's a hyperlinked list of the current product categories:

You may also email your suggestions to: [email protected].

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch