PDS aims to cut cost of storage

Storage hardware vendor Pillar Data Systems

Storage hardware vendor Pillar Data Systems (PDS) has unveiled a combined SAN and NAS hardware product to support its launch into the European market.

PDS is partly funded by a venture capital firm created by Oracle’s chief executive Larry Ellison.

The firm said its Axiom storage system features unified SAN and NAS technology, as well as tiered storage capabilities and integrated quality of service. It is also capable of scaling to hundreds of terabytes of capacity.

Mike Workman, chief executive of PDS, said Axiom will enable resellers to cut end-user storage costs by up to 40 per cent.

“By partnering with us resellers can carry one platform that does lots of jobs and serves 80 per cent of the market, rather than learning many hardware products from one vendor such as EMC,” he said.

PDS expects about 30 per cent of Axiom sales in the UK to come through resellers in the first year, and plans to generate equal numbers of direct and channel-based sales after the first year.

Axiom is distributed exclusively in the UK by CMS Peripherals, which will look to sign a total of 10 UK resellers within the first year, Workman said.

“This is our strategy to expand into Europe and also marks our initial sales entry into the European region. One UK distributor is enough for us right now,” he added.

Astley Gayle, product marketing manager at CMS, said: “This is a potential game changer. It will disrupt things for established storage vendors. Resellers will be able to crack the SAN and NAS market in a single swing.”