Content, Storage Management Plays
Value-added distributor NewWave Technologies intends to unveil plans to bundle archiving software with tape libraries, while EMC is set to disclose a deal to OEM structured data management software from OuterBay. The moves are the latest in a series of acquisitions and OEM and reseller agreements centered on the arena.
NewWave, which specializes in document imaging, is bundling WORM and non-WORM tape libraries from Qualstar, a Simi Valley, Calif.-based library vendor, with software from U.K.-based XenData, which has its U.S. headquarters in Walnut Creek, Calif.
LET'S MAKE A DEAL
>> OCTOBER: OpenText acquires Ixos; Hitachi Data Systems reveals plans to resell content management applications from Ixos; EMC moves to acquire Documentum.
>> NOVEMBER: Storage management vendor Connected buys e-mail archive vendor Archive-it; StorageTek discloses plans to OEM and resell content management applications from Ixos.
>> DECEMBER: NewWave bundles Qualstar tape libraries with XenData archiving software; EMC signs OEM deal with OuterBay.
XenData's software manages data generated from applications such as e-mail archiving and document, check and medical imaging, said XenData CEO Phil Storey. The software treats WORM and non-WORM tape libraries, and RAID arrays as a single pool of storage, allowing system administrators to set policies for migrating data to lower-cost storage, he said.
Dan Filipek, national sales manager at NewWave, said the bundle is an opportunity for the Gaithersburg, Md.-based distributor's 5,000 solution providers to focus on high-margin storage opportunities. "As [our imaging resellers] see margins slip, it makes sense for them to get into the back end. Bundles are easy for them to understand and to work with regulatory concerns," he said.
Chris Karcher, president of The Karcher Group, called NewWave an excellent distribution partner, one that is quick with assistance for imaging and storage products. However, while the Chantilly, Va.-based solution provider sees the importance of storage and archiving for regulatory and compliance purposes, it does not plan to move into the space without first exploring potential legal problems, Karcher said.
EMC's OEM deal with OuterBay, a Campbell, Calif.-based provider of structured data management software, extends its presence in the information lifecycle management space, said Mark Sorenson, senior vice president of information management software at EMC, Hopkinton, Mass.
Michael Howard, chairman, president and CEO of OuterBay, said EMC plans to "forklift our entire product into their product line."
This includes OuterBay's Application Resource Monitor, which tracks and forecasts data growth; Live Archive, which moves data from one storage media to another based on customer policies; Encapsulated Archive, which turns data into XML data for long-term accessibility; and Instance Generator, which generates a snapshot of a relationally intact subset of a database.