Companies To Watch
Why It Pays To Root For The Underdog

Processor, March 25, 2004
By Elizabeth Millard

The products put out by large, established companies are usually valued for their reliability, stability, and predictability. But let’s admit it: Everyone likes to root for the underdog. When it comes to the data center arena, cheering for smaller companies is easy because some are coming out with products interesting enough to warrant at least a few hurrahs from the IT department.

The most exciting new technologies that will revolutionize the data center, according to industry analysts, are sleeker environmental controls, better storage, and more efficient management capability. Although big companies such as IBM and HP are putting out products geared toward data center and IT managers, there are some up-and-coming smaller companies that are trying to capture the market, as well. Can these Davids really beat the Goliaths of the industry? Many analysts think so, and more importantly, many data center managers do, too.

Environmental Impact
As data centers get more extensive, the need to keep them cool becomes critical. Most IT managers are hyperaware of keeping data safe from external hackers and internal misuse, but many aren’t as concerned about keeping the physical machines protected from harm. Rob Schafer, an analyst with META Group, says this is a dangerous mistake.

"The technology being used in data centers is dense and compact, which is great," he notes. "But the problem is that they’re becoming hot. Users are facing some very significant environmental issues that are going to rear their ugly head over the next 10 years."

To combat the difficulty, Shafer says several companies are worthy of keeping on the radar, including AVTECH Software and RackIt Technology. Both firms provide environmental products, with AVTECH a bit more devoted to bringing out the latest and greatest in the keeping-it-cool category. With PageR and Room Alert monitoring products, AVTECH's devices can assist data center managers with tracking humidity, intruders, smoke, and many other equipment threats.

RackIt, true to its name, is a purveyor of racks and rack accessories, but the company is also getting noticed for its RackBotz monitoring appliances. Also available are external sensors, wall-mounted products, and many other types of sensors and probes that can be used to create customized surveillance. Although the company may not be a behemoth, it’s worth watching just because many of the names on its client list are impressive, to say the least. With the U.S. Air Force, IBM, Honeywell, Wells Fargo, General Motors, and Harvard University on the sales roster, it’s a sure bet that RackIt is on the fast track to growth.

Another company worthy of observation is TriActive, a managed service provider that recently received a fresh round of funding from investors. Focusing on the midsized enterprise market, the firm provides systems management and environmental monitoring through its TriActive Systems Manager application.
Companies such as these are on the leading edge of environmental technology, Schafer says. " They're going to help the data center and IT manager deal with a looming problem. "

Store House
In addition to environmental controls, data center managers must also have a storage strategy in place. Several companies are eager to make their mark in the industry with solid products and affordable pricing.

Schafer notes that CreekPath Systems, a storage management company, is poised to be a major player in the storage revolution. He says, "This is the type of smaller company that’s really doing some interesting work, and it’s worth noticing."

CreekPath (see sidebar) provides professional services, as well as products. Its main focus is on the CreekPath Suite, which consists of five core elements: a platform for storage operations management, an information portal for analysis and reporting, process automation modules to enable self-regulated management and provisioning, scenario automation modules for operational efficiency, and business application modules that minimize IT involvement.

Schafer isn't the only one who's noticed the company’s potential. Recently, CreekPath's Suite was named as one of the 2003 Products of the Year by TechTarget's Storage and SearchStorage.com, two publications geared toward storage-focused IT professionals.

"Storage and resource management will be driving innovation, "Schafer notes. "Certainly the usual suspects like IBM will be there in the future, but so will smaller, compelling companies like CreekPath."

Higher Management
With so many different elements at play in a data center, from equipment upgrades to resource allocation, an IT manager has to have a handle on how to control it all, or he'll soon find himself adrift in a sea of difficulties. Rebecca Wettemann, vice president of research for analyst firm Nucleus, says that the top contenders for management implementation continue to be big players such as EMC and Veritas. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few smaller companies that are doing some attention-grabbing work.

She notes that Embarcadero is a top contender to watch, mainly due to its dedication to data management, as well as its tendency to inspire customer loyalty. She says, "When you 're looking for a data management firm, one of the key things to look for is whether the company actually has customers. Systems management is a big problem and expense, and newer companies should have customers that are happy with how those problems are being solved. "

Wettemann is watching Embarcadero because satisfied customers make for a growing company in the future. "They're up-and-coming,"she says, "and it'll be interesting to see what they're going to do."

For security management, Infonetics Research analyst Jeff Wilson likes iPolicy Networks, a company that produces ipEnforcer, which allows for multiple security services to run concurrently. This kind of product has the potential to revolutionize the data center, Wilson says. "The ipEnforcer products are part of an emerging third generation of security solutions," he notes. "[They] optimize security and provide reductions in latency with performance increases by inspecting network traffic packets in one pass."

With products worthy of notice and company strategies that will serve them well in the long run, it seems that many smaller firms deserve the attention they’ve been getting from analysts and data center managers. Take that, Goliath. The Rise Of CreekPath Systems

Founded in 1999, CreekPath Systems brought together engineering experts and storage pioneers to create a new kind of management for storage operations. The company wanted to build a suite of products that would reduce capital and operational expenses while improving business agility.
Paula Dallabetta, CreekPath's director of product marketing, says the company decided that workflow, policy, and automation was the way to get a handle on storage issues. She notes, "We went from storage research management to storage operations, which was a step from a passive offering to providing a self-correcting environment."

The company's switch in focus also allowed it to envision a future in which storage will no longer be an orphan in the industry, but rather, an integral part of the IT landscape. Dallabetta says, "Similar to [how] supply chain management and CRM revolutionized those points of the business and brought them into the IT infrastructure, we think storage needs to be brought into the IT fold, as well. By perfecting its storage suite and staying true to its vision, CreekPath aims to do just that."