Flash tech helps NetApp and EMC grab storage share in Q3

Growth in flash technology "greatly contributed" to modest growth in EMEA external disk storage smarket

Strong sales of all-flash arrays (AFAs) helped storage rivals NetApp and EMC grab market share in the EMEA external disk storage market last quarter, according to new IDC figures.

In Q3, the market's total value in EMEA crept up 1.3 per cent annually to $1.75bn (£1.12bn) after sales of flash storage "greatly contributed".

EMC maintained its market lead after its share rose almost two points to 29.19 per cent. Over the last year, the storage giant has been very keen to talk up its credentials in the flash storage space after a string of flash-focused startups including Pure Storage and X-IO publically berated the firm on their respective quest for customers and channel partners.

IDC said EMC's flash offering XtremIO has performed well, but that the same could not be said for all the company's products.

"Positive sales in the midrange space and backup environment - mainly VNX and Data Domain - helped EMC strengthen its lead in EMEA by almost two percentage points compared to a year ago," it said. "However, the company is still subject to declining sales in the high end, where not even the strong uptake of XtremIO managed to negate falling sales of Vmax."

NetApp was the only other top-five vendor to grab more market share in Q3 - its share rose from 13.76 per cent last year to 14.28 per cent in Q3.

IDC put the move down to "strong sales in its AFA range" as well as rising storage sales in the defence, finance and oil and gas industries.

Regionally, Western Europe had a flat Q3 while in CEMA, market value was up four per cent compared with a year ago.

"Western Europe had a flat third-quarter performance, in which the weakness of major markets such as the UK, France, and the Nordics has taken its toll," IDC said.

"However, good performances in Germany, Benelux, and Switzerland as well as the strong growth in Italy (mainly thanks to deals on the IBM side), counteracted the negative effect."