Data Storage Startups Benefit From Data Growth

Today's explosive data growth can only be described using 'F-words', that is fast and furious. For IT storage managers it can be problematic, but for storage startups it is a big boon for business. As noted in this MercuryNews report, The rising value of storage was vividly illustrated last summer. In the depths of the recession, storage giants EMC and NetApp engaged in a bidding war to acquire valley startup Data Domain. The price rose from $1.5 billion to $2.1 billion before EMC closed the deal.

"Shasta partner Ravi Mohan said the data explosion is a rich opportunity. Calling by cell phone from Sand Hill Road, he warned me in advance that he might lose the connection. When I asked why, Mohan explained how typical iPhone data puts 20 times the pressure on AT&T network as voice, potentially disrupting the quality of service.

"Which is, of course, another opportunity.

"Beaming up a bundle: As Cisco's new super-duper router illustrates, all that data also makes delivery a growth industry. SiBeam, a Sunnyvale developer of a high-speed wireless platform, announced $36.5 million in fourth-round funding led by Foundation Capital. Cisco is among SiBeam's strategic investors."