}anuaiy 27, 2u14

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http:www.foibes.comsitesbenkepes2u14u127back-to-the-futuie-open-
souice-stoiage-ielaunches

Ben Kepes
Back in 2uu1 the iuea of an open souice solution that coulu compete with
piopiietaiy stoiage piouucts was pietty unusual. But this was the iuea that founuei
Eien Niazi was hoping to commeicialize. Anu he got pietty close - selling piouuct to
Facebook (then in its eaily uays) Shutteifly SFLY -1.SS%, NASA, KPNu, the 0S Aimy
anu Lockheeu Naitin LNT -u.S4% 0nfoitunately foi Niazi the uFC stiuck anu his
investois backeu out - paitly because of the economic situation anu paitly because
they just uiun't believe that open souice woulu take off in the uata centei woilu.
Touay we have the benefit of hinusight anu have seen the huge impacts that
uiffeient open souice solutions have maue - Ceph foi Stoiage, Netwoiking
0peiating Systems (Cumulus Netwoiks foi example) anu clouu opeiating systems
(0penStack oi ClouuStack foi example). With this much pioof that open souice can
woik within the uata centei constiuct, the timing was iight foi Niazi to ielaunch the
company anu he's uoing it by speaking to an opeiatois key consiueiation, cost. By
avoiuing the high licensing fees that piopiietaiy stoiage piouucts come with, Niazi
believe significant savings can be ueliveieu - he estimates a Su-4u% ieuuction in
the cost of uata owneiship
Niazi is calling his piouuct a "piivate clouu in a box" - peihaps a misguiueu name
given that it's almost guaianteeu to get the back up of any vaguely knowleugeable
clouu punuit. But looking past the unfoitunate title, the iuea of commouity haiuwaie
matcheu with open souice softwaie is a no biainei.
In an aiticle last yeai uiscussing why open souce stoiage hasn't taken off the same
way pen souice opeiating systems have within uata centeis, Ban Woous
commenteu that:
But theie is anothei iealm that open souice has yet to mount a seiious
attack, the woilu of stoiage. CI0s may complain louuly about wiiting big
checks to NetApp, ENC, anu othei stoiage venuois, but wiite them they uo.
I suspect things aie changing - the giowth of open souice in othei paits of the uata
centei opeiation will no uoubt inciease opeiatois' willingness to use open souice
foi stoiage as well.
Anyway, 0SS is iepoiting that is has solu Su million shaies to piivate investois but,
inteiestingly, isn't uisclosing the piice of those shaies oi the company's valuation.
Eithei way they'ie going to use the funuing to uevelop the piouuct fuithei anu hiie
moie bouies. The fiist of those goals is being fuitheieu touay - 0SS is ieleasing its
new Niuulewaie System which allows open souice softwaie anu open stanuaiu
stoiage haiuwaie to be mounteu to any existing infiastiuctuie.
As foi the bouies-on-the-giounu issue, 0SS is also announcing that is has hiieu Paul
Kelley, one of the leaueis on the oiiginal 0SS team back in 2uu4. Between 2uu4 anu
2uu7 Kelley helpeu 0SS scale to ovei $27N in ievenue - a goou numbei, but not
enough to keep those investois happy. Kelley has expeiienceu success with staitups
howevei, piioi to joining 0SS he was a Biiectoi at vA Linux - one of the highest
peifoiming IP0s in Wall Stieet histoiy.
A lot has changeu since the last incaination of 0SS, while theie is moie appetite foi
what they aie uoing, the woilu has also moveu on a little - the auvent of the open
souice clouu opeiating systems, moie options aiounu stoiage anu othei open
souice stoiage venuois mean that it's by no means a slam uunk foi the new 0SS.
Time will tell..