DataDirect Networks

Founded in 1998, DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a provider of large storage systems for unstructured data and big data, like AI, analytics and high performance computing (HPC) environments. The company is headquartered in Chatsworth, California, USA, has about 1000 employees,[2] and in 2011 called itself the largest privately held information storage company.[3] Acquisitions in 2018 and 2019 added product lines which address more standard IT workloads like virtualization, databases and file sharing. [4]

DataDirect Networks (DDN)
TypePrivate
Founded1998
FounderAlex Bouzari
Paul Bloch
Headquarters
Chatsworth, California
,
United States
Key people
Alex Bouzari (Chairman, CEO)
Paul Bloch (President)
Ian Angelo (CFO)
Sven Oehme (CRO)
Number of employees
492 (2019)[1]
Websitewww.ddn.com

DDN provides storage for applications such as cloud storage services, supercomputing, life sciences and genomics, seismic processing, financial service trade and risk analysis, film production, live television broadcast, manufacturing, and video surveillance.[5]

History

The company was founded in 1988 under the name MegaDrive Systems. MegaDrive merged with ImpactData, in 1998, to create DataDirect Networks. Alex Bouzari is the company's CEO, chairman and co-founder.[6] Paul Bloch is president and co-founder.

DDN completed a $9.9 million round of venture capital financing in October 2001 with ClearLight Partners LLC and Digital Coast Ventures.[7] In 2002, the company ended its relationship with its venture capital financiers.[8] DDN created DataDirect Networks Federal, LLC, in 2005 - formalizing a team which holds the necessary clearances to support the company's focus on the U.S. government and intelligence community.[9]

In 2008, DDN reported that it had exceeded $100 million in annual revenue and claimed to provide storage systems for 48 of the top 100 supercomputers – with customers including Argonne National Laboratory and the NASA Ames Research Center.[10] In 2011, DDN reported that it had exceeded the $200M annual revenue mark,[11] and was reported to be the world's largest privately held storage company, based on 2009 revenues.[12] In 2013, the company built the storage system for Titan supercomputer.[13] DDN announced in 2016 that it powered 70 percent of the top 500 supercomputers worldwide, up from 67 percent in 2015.[14] In 2017, DDN earned the unicorn status.[15] In September 2018, DDN purchased the virtualization focused storage company Tintri.[16] In May, 2019, DDN acquired the software defined storage vendor Nexenta. In November 2019, DDN finalized the acquisition of the IntelliFlash division, formerly known as Tegile, from Western Digital Corporation Western Digital.[17]

Products

The company carries products that provide block, parallel file and object storage. Block storage devices store data in chunks with a maximum fixed length. Parallel file systems spread the data across more than one storage device to provide redundancy and increase performance. Object file systems separate the file metadata information from the rest of the file data and store them in separate devices. The Lustre and Spectrum Scale file systems are examples of parallel file systems that are supported by some of DDN's storage systems. High speed interconnects such as InfiniBand are also supported by some of DDN's storage systems.

The company also provides a storage management tool to configure and monitor DDN storage devices as well as a line of flash storage appliances. For example, DDN's Infinite Memory Engine (IME), a flash-native data cache, allows data to reside next to compute in a shared pool of non-volatile memory (NVM). In 2018, DDN introduced a line of all flash products designed to address AI and analytics workloads in GPU compute environments, known as A3I. [18]

DDN's enterprise business unit supplies solutions for virtualization, with Tintri, software defined unified storage, with Nexenta, and all flash primary unified storage, with IntelliFlash.

Notable awards and achievements
  • 2008: Frost & Sullivan awards DDN its World Disk Storage for Digital Media Market Product Differentiation Innovation Award.[19]
  • 2009: Frost & Sullivan awards DDN its World Disk Storage for Best Practice For Video Surveillance Capture & Archive.[20]
  • 2010: Deloitte's Technology Fast 500™.[21]
  • 2011:fastest growing $100M+ computer company by Inc. Magazine, its second year of inclusion on the Inc. 500|5000 list.[22]
  • 2012: America's fastest growing $200M+ privately held computer company by Inc. Magazine.[23]
  • 2013: Fastest growing technology company over $100 million by the Los Angeles Business Journal for the 3rd year in a row.[24]
  • 2014: National Association of Broadcasters' Best of Show Award for its WOS object storage product.[25]
  • 2015: Best in Video Surveillance Data Storage Award for its GS7K appliance at the SIA New Product Showcase.[26]

References
  1. "DataDirect Networks Company Profile". Craft. Retrieved September 27, 2019.
  2. Donato-Weinstein, N.: “DataDirect plugs into Santa Clara,” Silicon Valley Business Journal, April 22, 2013]
  3. Dave Raffo (September 20, 2011). "DataDirect Networks discusses new system, IBM relationship". Storage Soup. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  5. Chris Mellor (March 15, 2013). "Private billion buck HPC player? You're going to have to go public - and SOON". The Register. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  6. “Exclusive Interview of Alex Bouzari, CEO of DataDirect Networks,” StorageNewsletter, Jan 17, 2011]
  7. "DataDirect Networks Closes Series A Funding Round Of US Dollars 9.9 Million". Press release. DataDirect Networks. October 1, 2001. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  8. "How To Defend Your Dream Against All Odds: Alex Bouzari, CEO of DataDirect Networks". One Million by One Million Blog. October 16, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  9. “DataDirect Networks Creates DataDirect Networks Federal, LLC. to Manage Its Significant Expansion in Government Markets ,” PR Newswire, June 6, 2005]
  10. "Company Profile, DataDirect Networoks" (PDF). Taneja Group. September 2008. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 21, 2010.
  11. Baltazar, H.: “DataDirect accelerates sales past $200m plateau, eyes analytics,” 451 Research, July 28, 2011]
  12. Raffo, D.: “DataDirect Networks called No. 1 among private storage vendors,” Storage Soup , Jan 12, 2011]
  13. James Plafke (April 16, 2013). "Titan supercomputer will have world's fastest storage at 1.4TB/s". Extreme Tech. Retrieved October 12, 2016.
  14. https://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/07/07/ddn_ups_top_500_supercomputer_showing
  15. http://www.storagenewsletter.com/2017/06/06/storage-unicorn-update-june-2017/
  19. “2008 World Disk Storage for Digital Media Market Product Differentiation Innovation Award,” Frost & Sullivan, 2008]
  20. “DataDirect Networks Scalable Storage Technology Recognized by Leading Storage Analyst as a Best Practice for Video Surveillance Capture & Archive,” Market Wired, 2009]
  21. “Surge in Demand for Dynamic Content Infrastructure Propels DataDirect Networks Into Deloitte's Technology Fast 500(TM),” TMCnet, 2010]
  22. “Top Computer Hardware Companies on the 2011 Inc. 5000,” Inc. Magazine, 2011]
  23. “DataDirect Networks is named America's fastest growing $200M+ privately held computer company by Inc. Magazine,” Primeur Magazine, Sept 6, 2012]
  24. “Big Data Leader DataDirect Networks (DDN) Recognized as Fastest Growing Technology Company Over $100 Million on Los Angeles Business Journal’s List for Third Year in a Row,” Backup Review, Jan, 2013]
  25. Grotticelli, M.: “And the Winners of NewBay Media’s 2014 Best of Show Awards Presented by 'Video Edge' Magazine Are ...”, Video Edge, May 9, 2014]
  26. https://www.securityindustry.org/Pages/PressReleases/2015/MorphoWAVE-from-Safran-Morpho-Named-Best-New-Product-at-SIA%E2%80%99s-2015-New-Product-Showcase.aspx
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