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back to article Dell storage still staggering a year after EMC break-up

Dell's storage business is not keeping pace with its servers and networking business. This could be a lingering effect of its changed storage strategy, in which it has stopped reselling EMC storage and begun flogging its own acquired Compellent and EqualLogic gear as part of a "converged" solution. But it appears that customers …

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  1. Nate Amsden

    enough is enough?

    just what exactly will he do?

    I think they need another year at least, if not two years to finish converging their storage line ups. On the surface at least it appears Dell's storage strategy is quite a bit more aggressive than HP's (e.g. integration of Exanet+Orcarnia+Compellent). Short term pain, hopefully longer term gain. Time remains to be seen if they can pull it off but I respect them for trying. I'm not one to normally give Dell any respect.

    For once Dell is doing some decent R&D in the enterprise space..

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    1. M. B.
      Reply Icon

      Re: enough is enough?

      EqualLogic slots in there as well, I've seen some interesting stuff where the back end will consist of EqualLogic branch arrays replicating to centralized Compellent arrays, both using Ocarina and Exanet tech for file storage and dedupe/compression and everything tiered automatically across all systems and disk types as needed. It's pretty cool, but also pretty "big picture". Interesting times ahead.

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    2. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Re: enough is enough?

      Decent R&D??

      They are acquiring and not doing much R&D. The only hard work being done there is the by the acquisition department and the marketing department.

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  3. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Yup

    Of course they are struggling. Buying up a few players in the market and being able to do it 'end-to-end' does not make you an enterprise player in storage.

    Personally the only Dell purchase I rate was Equallogic - although what they do is quite narrow I think it's a fantastic bit of kit.

    Compellent - Great early on but failed to keep pace, heavily overtaken by rivals now. Heavily. Second rate as a main platform now, likely to take over as the 'EVA'of our time when the EVA finally dies.

    Exanet - bought for $12m. Was failing, badly doe to offering very little over many other players out there. Competitors spend about 10 times their buy price a year on R&D. Not really a leader, more a check in the 'NAS' box.

    Ocarina - hasn't really made headway. Slowly disappearing.

    It was obvious Dell needed to go at it alone and dump EMC. There is life after EMC, ask HP. However, EMC is just one of those companies that fights like a rabid animal so it's no surprise.

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  4. Franco

    Equallogic kit is (or was) pretty good. Till Dell got their hands on it. It's improving slowly, but the support and the firmware for the first year or so after the acquisition was unbelievably bad.

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