DDN to Acquire SDS Player
Aims to expand leadership in AI and multi-cloud data management with purchase of Nexenta
DataDirect Networks (DDN), a Chatsworth, California-based provider of storage solutions for Big Data environments, has announced that it plans to acquire Nexenta, which delivers software-defined storage systems to multi-cloud-focused enterprises and 5G and IoT-driven telcos and service providers.
The Lowdown: The acquisition will result in the creation of the Nexenta by DDN division at DataDirect. According to company officials, the move adds enterprise-class, scalable software capabilities for app-, cloud-, hardware-, platform-, and protocol-agnostic deployments to DDN’s portfolio. It also expands DDN’s ecosystems and intellectual property, adding 300 partners; 3,000 enterprise, telco, and service provider customers; and 50 patents.
The Details: With the acquisition, DDN brings together three portfolios:
> DDN Storage—for comprehensive AI, Big Data, and data management at scale
> Tintri by DDN—for simplicity and control in virtualized environments and enterprise applications
> Nexenta by DDN—for optimized software-defined data services aimed at enterprises, telcos, and service providers with 5G and IoT requirements
With $100 million of software deployed globally, Nexenta is the world’s largest app-agnostic pure-play SDS vendor, according to officials, who said the combination of the two companies will benefit all parties. While DDN broadens its portfolio and better addresses the next-gen communication network needs of service providers and telcos, Nexenta’s partners and customers stand to gain from DDN’s large global ecosystem, IP footprint, and solid financial performance.
The Buzz: “Nexenta helped create the software defined storage market and achieved a leadership position in it by deploying more than $100 million of software globally,” said Alex Bouzari, CEO and co-founder of DDN. “With the addition of Nexenta’s great team, IP, and its visionary CEO Tarkan Maner, DDN is broadening our markets beyond AI, Big Data, virtualization, and multi-cloud, and accelerating our investments in next-generation 5G, IoT, and enterprise software. No one else can bring such a degree of data management freedom, value, and flexibility to the marketplace.”
“Nexenta’s customers, partners, investors, and our entire team are very excited about joining the fast-growing DDN family, and accelerating the massive market disruption which is helping customers digitally transform their legacy IT infrastructures thanks to our innovative and award-winning 5G and IoT-driven software,” said Maner of Nexenta. “As part of DDN, we will scale financially, operationally, and geographically, giving our customers and partners the freedom and agility to operate and innovate efficiently as they build and expand their AI and multi-cloud capabilities.”
“DDN has a long track record of creating advanced storage infrastructures for challenging use cases in a number of demanding markets, including AI, HPC, media and entertainment, and life sciences,” said Henry Baltazar, research vice president at 451 Research. “The acquisition of SDS pioneer Nexenta extends DDN’s storage product portfolio into mainstream midrange and enterprise use cases while also opening up new market opportunities in emerging markets such as 5G and IoT.”
