Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

REPORT ANALYZES EVOLUTION OF THE NAS MARKET

Rapid evolution in the market for network-attached storage (NAS) has spawned a range of new products that drastically change the deployment of NAS in today's networks, according to a detailed new report from the subscription research service Byte and Switch Insider.

The report, "NAS Update: Survival of the Fittest," examines new trends in NAS and their impact on today's enterprises. This includes a taxonomy of current NAS techniques, plus analysis of products from 24 vendors, drawing comparisons and conclusions across more than 20 criteria.

"The NAS approach, which adds storage directly to existing networks, is more popular than ever," says the report's author, Byte and Switch Insider's senior analyst Brett Mendel. "Trouble is, NAS has shortcomings that are forcing vendors to rethink how they deliver this technology. Chief among these is a lack of scalability and integration with other kinds of storage gear."

Report Conclusions:

• Gateways that front SAN-attached storage with NAS file serving are overtaking stand-alone NAS products.

• Established players are finding the NAS challenge a major factor in their storage networking strategies.

• More startups are taking aim at the NAS market, challenging established vendors with installed bases to protect.

Products from these public companies are discussed in this report: Adaptec Inc, Dell Inc, EMC Corp, Hewlett-Packard Co, IBM Corp, Iomega Corp, Network Appliance Inc, and Sun Microsystems Inc.

Products from these private companies are discussed in this report: Acopia Networks Inc, BlueArc Corp, Cloverleaf Communications Inc, Exanet Inc, Isilon Systems Inc, NuView Inc, ONStor Inc, Panasas Inc, and Xiotech Corp.

Other companies mentioned in this report include: Ciprico Inc, Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), InoStor Corp, Maximum Throughput Inc (Max-T), NeoPath Networks Inc, Pillar Data Systems Inc, and Procom Technology Inc.