The other key new technology for storage builders is the abundance of SATA hard drives, which in the past six months have become available in volume. They offer lower cost and higher capacity than SCSI drives.
Dex Computer Center builds external arrays using a StoreCase chassis combined with Intel controllers and either Seagate SCSI drives or Western Digital SATA drives. Dex Computer Center's engineering customers still prefer SCSI drives because of concerns about the reliability of SATA drives, which are still relatively new to the market, Kiesow said. Small businesses prefer SATA because of cost, while Exchange users can go either way, he said.
Reason also builds SATA-based and SCSI-based arrays for small and midsize businesses. Daninger said that his SATA-based array business is growing as customers learn to appreciate how SATA hard drives can be hot-swapped and how the thin SATA cables enhance cooling within the array.
One way solution providers can grow their custom-built storage system business is to focus less on building in small quantities and work more with third-party builders, Twomey said. "Many people are building storage arrays like they built PCs 20 years ago," he said. "My PC is better than yours, my NAS is better than yours. If they want to push this market, it will grow when they focus on marketing and sales."
Discover the benefits of scalable backbone and network services for application and cloud providers.
Network automation is gaining momentum. Here's how you can drive this powerful technology to its full potential.
Subsea cable alternatives can provide a level of comfort for those concerned about disruptions. Realistically, they will continue to play a small, but critical role in the short term.
