Most Promising Storage Start-Ups in 2012

For the second year we are ranking the top 15 most promising storage start-ups. It’s not easy to classify storage start-ups as they are involved in completely different technologies (basic hardware and subsystems, de-dupe, cloud, archiving, etc). But we did it. This ranking is the result of the opinion of a journalist – not a consultant or an expert – following daily the worldwide storage industry considering of course the technology of each company, but also their most recent financial rounds of funding and their growth when available. Anybody else trying to the do the same ranking will get different results.
JJM, Editor

Top 15 Most Promising Storage Start-Ups for 2012

1. Dropbox: online storage
2. Violin: flash memory arrays
3. Coraid: network storage appliances based on ATA-over-Ethernet
4. Cloudera: Apache Hadoop-based platform
5. SolidFire: cloud-based SSD storage
6. Tintri: purpose-built SSD storage system for virtual machines
7. Actifio: solution for data protection, DR and BC
8. Pure Storage: software for SSD NAS
9. Adesto: memory based on RRAM-type scheme called programmable metallization cell to replace flash
10. Thought Equity Motion: cloud storage video platform
11. Nimble: storage, backup, and DR into single iSCSI solution with SSDs and HDDs
12. Nutanix: cloud computing and virtualization
13. Virident: enterprise PCIe SSD
14. Kanbox: online backup in China
15. XtremIO: enterprise SSD storage system

All these start-ups are in USA but Kanbox in China and XtremIO in Israel.

We also like AppAssure Software, Avere, Axcient, Axxana, Basho, Box.net, Cache IQ, Druva, ExaGrid, Kaminario, Nevex, Mimecast, Nevex, NextGen Storage, Nvelo, Panasas, Scale Computing, Scality, StorMagic, Twinstrata, Veeam, Virsto, Virtual Instruments, WhipTail and Zerto

Our to 15 ranking last year was:

1. Nimble: storage, backup, and DR into a single iSCSI solution with SSDs and HDDs
2. Nimbus: storage subsystem with SSD only
3. ExaGrid: de-dupe
4. SandForce: SSD processor
5. Mimecast: email management including archiving, discovery, continuity, security and policy
6. Fusion-io: PCI SSD
7. Axxana: asynchronous replication with no data loss over any geographical distance
8. Violin: flash memory arrays
9. GreenBytes: de-dupe for primary storage and backup
10. Pliant Technology: enterprise flash SAS SSD    
11. Amplidata: object storage system to distribute and store data blocks redundantly across number of disks.
12. Veeam: agentless data protection for VMware
13. Scale Computing: clustered disk-storage solution for SMBs
14. Avere: tiered NAS appliances
15. InQuinox: appliance for Symantec de-dupe software