Another new addition is Francesco Lacapra, VP of advanced development, who was previously the lead engineer on BlueArc Corp.'s clustering software team -- an initiative that BlueArc appears to have put on the back burner (see BlueArc Clips Clustering Team).
Before Z-force revised its strategy, the startup was proposing that users aggregate all of their existing NAS infrastructure behind its switch -- including systems from EMC, NetApp, and others like BlueArc or Spinnaker Networks Inc.
Says Dan Cloer, Z-force's new director of product marketing: "It's a big market with a lot of entrenched players. We realized we're not going to take the whole watermelon in one bite." [Ed. note: Just think of the seeds you'd have to spit out...]
Now the pitch is to let customers gang up dozens of Windows-based NAS systems using the Z-force ZX-1000 switches. Priced at $47,000, the switch will be available directly from Z-force or through one of its partners, which include Bell Microproducts (Nasdaq: BELM), Dell Computer Corp. (Nasdaq: DELL), Rackable Systems Inc., and Rorke Data Inc.
Arun Taneja, founder of consulting firm Taneja Group, says Z-force looks as if it's settled on the right approach. "I think they have focused the thing down into something that can be well packaged and provide some meaningful value to an end user," he says.
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.
