This would at first glance appear to be a monumental challenge, seeing as Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT) is already the dominant supplier of NAS software to the likes of Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq: DELL), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ), and IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) (see Microsoft's SAK Attack).
That said, analysts note that Linux has seen significant traction in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in China. Furthermore, Alacritech has proven it has a viable play as a NAS-acceleration device. Last year, it signed an OEM agreement with IBM, which incorporated Alacritech's TOE into its midrange NAS products. Alacritech also staged a high-performance NAS demonstration with Compaq; Gervais says HP is still "reference-selling" Alacritech's adapters (see IBM Turns NAS Crank and Compaq, Alacritech: We Kick NAS).
But Alacritech has been forced to shift its focus to NAS to ensure its survival, as iSCSI -- the startup's original area of development -- has taken longer to develop than many expected. The technical underpinnings of the iSCSI protocol were approved last September, but the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)'s official OK is still pending. "We're still dotting the I's and crossing the T's," says Gervais.
The delay has prompted some observers to speculate that it will be 2004 before iSCSI-based storage systems start to roll out (see iSCSI Spec Set, Microsoft Won't Ship iSCSI in .NET, and QLogic Keeps on Truckin').
Other companies developing competing TOE technologies include Adaptec Inc. (Nasdaq: ADPT), Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A), Intel Corp. (Nasdaq: INTC), Trebia Networks Inc., and QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq: QLGC). But unlike Alacritech, none of these vendors has announced a customer win yet (see Vendors Chip Into IP Storage, QLogic Does Storage Trois, Intel Wiggles Its TOE, and Adaptec Takes Whack at NAC).
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