Strategic Vendor Series: IBM

By SearchStorage.com editorial team 01 Aug 2004 | SearchStorage.com

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Is IBM just a big kid hording toys in a sandbox, or is it more like the aging Trump triumphing in real estate?

Whichever it is, there's no doubt that IBM has staying power. Incorporated in 1911, but with roots tracing as far back as 1888, IBM seems to lurk in every technical corner. Storage is no exception. This week's Strategic Storage Vendor feature takes a look at IBM storage and where it's headed.

SearchStorage.com recently spoke with two key IBM people -- Jai Menon, director and chief technologist for Storage Systems Architecture and Design in IBM Systems Group, and Jens Tiedemann, vice president of IBM TotalStorage Open Software -- about their views on storage. We also interviewed two analysts -- Randy Kerns, partner at the Evaluator Group, and Peter Gerr, analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group -- for a sanity check on where they think IBM excels and also where it falls short. At the end of our feature, you'll find recent news headlines and other resources specifically about IBM.

So walk through this interactive Q&A and learn what you need to know about one of the storage giants we've selected for a closer look. Keep in mind that the industry changes quickly -- this info is current as of end of July 2004. Stay tuned for our next update on IBM in about six months.

IBM's views

What are the 10 grand challenges in storage for IBM to tackle?

What are key storage software directions for the next six months?

What are some trends impacting the direction of IBM's products?

IBM has finally turned the corner with SVC and SAN File System, where over the past two to three years, they've been pushing that boulder up hill. Peter Gerr Analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group

Who does IBM see as their biggest competition in the storage market?

How is IBM's storage strategy better than their competitors?

Read Jens Tiedemann's full interview here

Analyst views

What are IBM's strongest storage products?

What are IBM's weakest storage product lines?

IBM's biggest threat in storage?

How has IBM positioned itself to be a stronger storage presence?

Thoughts on whether IBM has a strong storage roadmap?

Read Randy Kern's and Peter Gerr's full interview here

Recent IBM news headlines

IBM, Cisco spruce up SVC
IBM wafts into WAFS
IBM profit up by 17%, bucks industry trend
IBM powers up to attack server market
IBM, ADIC swap patents
IBM ups interoperability of SAN File System
IBM offers low cost disk, tamper-proof tape
User refuses to be IBM virtualization guinea pig
IBM promises lower bill for remote replication
IBM promises more integrated management

IBM resources

Info on IBM storage hardware and software

Tags: Storage vendors,  Storage virtualization,  Disk arrays,  VIEW ALL TAGS

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