Analysis: Top 10 Storage Companies in 2011

Here data storage is defined as the activity of recording and retrieving
computer data using any form of digital devices (based on magnetic,
tape, optical, non volatile solid-state – not RAM -, and subsystems)
including all associated connectivity, software and services.

For this ranking we used the companies’ financial results for their
fiscal year 2011 – not the calendar year – ending in any month of 2011.
We got official figures – no estimations – for all of them for storage
only, but for IBM and HP with IDC figures. Their annual revenues are all above $2 billion.

 Top 10 in Storage Revenues in $ million in FY11

 
(Compilation by StorageNewsletter)
 
* storage only
 
** based the storage and server management segment and without Huawei Symantec
  *** based on IDC figures

Since the acquisition of Sun by Oracle, this latter didn’t publish
separately its storage revenues but they are under $2 billion
for its fiscal year ending in May 2011. Dell probably merits the 11th position with $1,943 million in storage for its FY11 (-15% compared to FY10).

All Top 10 saw their sales growing significantly except all HDD manufacturers because their sales deep drastically in the last quarter of calendar 2011, entirely due to the Thailand flood.

For Hitachi, we only ranks here both wholly-owned subsidiaries Hitachi
GST and HDS (including storage systems in Japan). But the Japanese group
has two other storage activities: wholly-owned subsidiary Hitachi
Maxell in storage media and the joint venture Hitachi-LG Data Storage
with LG in optical disc drives. Maxell is at around half billion dollar
per year and HLDS is the leader in optical disc drives in the world.
Globally, storage may represent more than $10 billion for Hitachi.

For the first three positions – the same ranking since 2008 – there will be a change in 2012 with the acquisition of Hitachi GST by WD. Their combined revenues is higher than EMC and Seagate (with Samsung HDD) for the year but it’s rare that 1+1=2 when a firm buys another one. EMC has a good chance to keep its pole position, Seagate losing the second place in favor of WD.

Historically, here are the winners’ circle
                     since 1991:

 (Source: StorageNewsletter)