Western Digital Announces SAN Software Business

Western Digital Corporation announced plans to create a new company called SANavigator Inc. from its network attached storage (NAS) subsidiary Connex last week. While Connex will continue to focus on NAS, SANavigator’s concern will be the Storage Area Network (SAN) software management market.

According to Western Digital, the SANavigator product is scalable and can help IT professionals remotely monitor and manage SAN installations from anywhere in the world.

“Creating a new company that concentrates on SAN management software is an appropriate strategic move by Western Digital,” said Michael Peterson, President, Strategic Research Corporation. “By giving SANavigator the ability to focus exclusively on specific markets, customer requirements and sales channels, they are creating a better framework for its success.”

Western Digital’s decision to enter the storage management software business could be based on market growth expectancy. The Gartner Group, for instance, expects it to grow from $4.2 billion in 1999 to $14.7 billion by 2004.