ATL Offering Brocade Switches; MTI Goes After New Users
Imation Corp. said it plans to employ testing software at its storage area network solutions lab from Irvine-based Shugart Technology Inc., a maker of data storage testing gear and software.
Shugart Chief Executive Richard Brechtlein said the Imation deal isn’t huge in terms of revenue but validates what Shugart is doing. Moreover, the deal saved the company research funds because Imation put Shugart’s software to the test before signing on to use it, he said.
“Instead of us going out and spending $10 million to build a lab with my money to test my product, Imation basically turned their lab over to us for a week,” Brechtlein said. “We went up there and took control of it. We had full access for a full week and beat the heck out of (our product).”
Shugart Technology is named for company chairman Al Shugart, considered one of the fathers of the disk drive. Mike Hogan, Imation SAN Solutions Lab Manager, gave Shugart’s newest product his thumbs up.
“The ability to automate many of our routine tasks, from test protocols to report generation, is helpful for us, saving time and eliminating a lot of tedious button-pushing,” he said.
ATL Taps Brocade
Irvine-based ATL Systems Inc., a unit of Quantum Corp., plans to offer storage network switches from San Jose-based Brocade Communications Systems Inc. with its automated tape libraries.
With its headquarters at University Research Park near the University of California, Irvine, ATL is one of the industry’s biggest makers of digital linear tape systems, which archive corporate data on tape on automated tape systems.
Brocade makes fibre channel switches for linking servers and other computers with storage devices. The company competes with Aliso Viejo-based QLogic Corp., which in August concluded its acquisition of Ancor Communications Inc.
Speaking of Storage
Anaheim-based MTI Technology Corp. announced its new MTI Vivant S200, a fibre channel network storage appliance designed for systems running UNIX and Windows NT or 2000.
The MTI Vivant S200 is designed to extend the company’s product line into new market segments, according to company officials. While MTI’s other Vivant products are designed for big corporate data centers, the Vivant S200 is aimed at departments within bigger companies and offices.
Separately, MTI said it plans to provide Vivant storage devices to Information Manufacturing Corp. of West Virginia, a document-conversion service provider. IMC is looking to the MTI products to ensure customers have online access to documents.
EFederal Goes to Washington
Brad Allen started eFederal Systems Inc., an online procurement company, in Aliso Viejo. But he has since bowed to the inevitable,the company’s headquarters now is in Washington, D.C.
EFederal has become a partner and tenant of DCVentureNet, a subsidiary of lobbying firm The Carmen Group. DCVentureNet is a technology incubator group specifically for online companies targeting government customers.
Steve Goldsmith, a former mayor of Indianapolis, is DCVentureNet’s managing director. EFederal’s Allen has joined DCVentureNet’s board of directors. Its advisory board includes former vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp; Washington Wizards owner Abe Pollin; Proxicom Inc. founder Raul Fernandez; and Howard University President H. Patrick Swygert.
EFederal, which plans to keep an office in Aliso Viejo, is backed by the incubator ThinkTank LLC.
Epoch Opens Dallas Data Center
Costa Mesa-based Epoch Internet Inc. recently opened a data center in downtown Dallas. The new facility is linked directly to Epoch’s national Internet network and is designed to offer Web-hosting services.
The 30,0000-square-foot data center features state-of-the-art security, power systems and on-site engineers. The Epoch data center also maintains advanced environmental controls, video surveillance security and fire-suppression systems.
Epoch also operates data centers in Costa Mesa and Los Angeles.
Bits:
Irvine-based eBuilt Inc., a designer of Web pages, said it has joined the Universal Description, Discovery and Integration Project focused on standardizing methods of information sharing and integration among business e-commerce trading partners. For more information: www.uddi.org Irvine-based Bivar Inc. added the new Narr-O-Gide conductive insert card guides to its printed circuit board packaging line to eliminate electro-static discharges. The company said the product can be used for telecommunications, medical and advanced avionics applications.
