Startup Isilon Systems's decision to target digital content with its storage systems seems to resonate with investors.
Isilon today announced it's received $15.5 million in a third round of funding led by global investment banker Lehman Brothers (see Isilon Raises $15.5M, Supplies LexisNexis). Previous investors, capital venture firms Sequoia Capital, Atlas Venture, and Madrona Venture Group LLC, participated.
Isilon, which specializes in digital content storage, has raised $38.9 million over three rounds. Brian Paul of Lehman Brothers joins Isilons board, which already has two directors from Atlas and one each from Madrona and Sequoia, along with Isilon CEO Steve Goldman and founder Sujal Patel.
Isilon is among the storage vendors looking to cash in on the growing digital video wave that has significantly increased the storage needs of movie studios and broadcasters (see Storage Vendors Watch Video, SGI Gains Hollywood Clout, and Storage Goes to the Movies).
Isilon designed its IQ NAS system specifically to handle large files of digital content. It does this mainly through a proprietary OneFS distributed file system, designed in modules. Each IQ node holds 1.44 Tbytes of capacity, allowing companies with growing storage needs, such as digital production facilities, to scale their purchases as they need more. The file system links content across the nodes to eliminate a single point of failure.
To realize the benefits of cloud-native software, an application must actually be cloud-native—designed to run in the cloud, interacting with disaggregated cloud services, fully manageable as code—to deliver the expected benefits.
By combining resources and expertise, the AI-Enabled ICT Workforce Consortium will offer a blueprint for how industries can adapt to an AI-dominated future.
IT leaders should heed the guidance of cybersecurity insurance providers who think businesses should prioritize security education, incident preparedness, regular internal audits, and ongoing vulnerability scanning and patching.
