Nigel Dessau

Not Just Being Diligent?

Recently, Sun signed a standard reseller agreement with Diligent, which allows Sun to resell Diligent's ProtecTIER as a field-integrated solution, combining Sun hardware and Diligent software. This has caused some excitement around our partnership with FalconStor and our strategy (which hasn't changed). I thought it was worth explaining what we have done and why.

We've added the Diligent-branded product to our Professional Services 3rd party software price list. This means we can sell Diligent software as part of an integrated Sun solution. In this model, Sun will support its components and Diligent will support its software. We do this with lots of software and it is really designed to support deals in the marketplace.

The Diligent relationship does not change Sun's commitment to its relationship with FalconStor or the current Sun StorageTek-branded VTL roadmap. The Sun VTL roadmap integrates FalconStor base software with Sun software and hardware IP into an end-to-end Sun-tested and manufactured solution. The agreement with Diligent also does not change Sun's commitment to integrate FalconStor's de-duplication software (SIR) into the roadmap which we are working on with FalconStor.

Sun StorageTek VTL has significant differentiation from other VTLs in the market, based on superior testing and integration, integration of tape management capabilities, Sun Solaris operating system, and Sun's server roadmap. Because Sun is the single source for all the components of the solution - software, OS, server, disk, AND tape - Sun is uniquely able to support all components of the solution, resolving all problems with the customer without hand-offs to third parties.

A recent de-dup market study by The 451 Group showed that 28% of non de-dup users planned to buy de-dup in the next 6 months. The Diligent agreement provides Sun with expanded access to market opportunities for de-dup until we have SIR available on our price list and supporting Sun's VTL solution. Diligent's de-dup architecture is 'inline'. FalconStor's approach with SIR is 'post-processing'. The jury is out on which architecture will end up dominating and, as with any emerging market, our enterprise customers will demand a choice.

The Diligent agreement is also in alignment with our strategy to support the applications our customers need. No one would expect us to just support one ERP vendor – why should we just support one storage software vendor? For example, for backup software we work with Veritas, Legato, TSM and BakBone – so is life.

The Diligent agreement is also part of a bigger story to create an application ecosystem around x4500 (aka Thumper). Today we are working with Luminex for mainframe VTL-type solution, Greenplum for data Warehousing, ipConfigure for security/surveillance, etc. The more people who use our x4500 the better!

So in the end it is about choice not about change.

Posted at 02:52PM Sep 05, 2007 by Nigel Dessau in Sun Storage  |  Comments[1]