New arrival Pure Storage takes aim at EMC

US-based flash start-up claims it has turned down numerous offers to sell the firm as it bids to rival EMC

Storage start-up Pure Storage has taken a swipe at market giant EMC after landing in EMEA.

The California-based vendor, which has opened its European headquarters in London, offers a flash product which is designed to be price comparable with disc and is easily installed in the datacentre.

It claims to have turned down "numerous" offers to sell the firm in a bid to make its way into the top five vendors, and aims to float on the stock market within the next few years.

Pure has already signed up about eight UK resellers, and aims to sell entirely through the channel.

Speaking to CRN, its chief executive Scott Dietzen said the firm's biggest rival is EMC, but the giant's direct business arm puts Pure Storage at an advantage.

"We pump up our salespeople by saying that EMC has a third of the market, and only sells a third through the channel, which means only 10 per cent of companies buy EMC through the channel, leaving 90 per cent left for us and our channel partners," he added.

"EMC keeps partners walled off from two thirds of the market – we will look to work with EMC partners who want access to the rest of the market."

And it is not just EMC partners Dietzen has his eye on, as he claims NetApp resellers are also highly receptive to his firm's offering.

He said: "NetApp wants to build something similar to [our technology] but by their own admissions they are a year or more away from that. That concerns people."

Dietzen added that he is also aiming to lure in disillusioned partners who have been caught up in acquisition activity, pinpointing former 3PAR, Equalogic and Isilon partners.

"They [have been] all rolled up and are not viewed as [being] as channel friendly as the other companies used to be. There is a vacuum for partners looking for new products and we aspire to fill that gap," he claimed.

To mark its arrival in EMEA, Pure is offering a "Love Your Storage" money-back guarantee, which sees the vendor offer a full refund if customers are not satisfied with the price, reliability or performance of its offerings.

Pure's technology is aimed at enterprises and in the US has seen traction in the financial services sector, federal government and military, Dietzen said.