Pillar Data Systems is a storage company headquartered in San Jose, California

San Jose, California

San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...

. Pillar Data develops midrange and enterprise network storage systems. The Pillar Axiom solution, driven by its policy-based management capabilities, integrates Storage Area Networks (SAN) and network-attached storage

Network-attached storage

Network-attached storage is file-level computer data storage connected to a computer network providing data access to heterogeneous clients. NAS not only operates as a file server, but is specialized for this task either by its hardware, software, or configuration of those elements...

 (NAS) into a centrally managed storage platform.

Pillar Data employs 325 people and its solutions are used by organizations in the financial services, healthcare, government and legal industries. Its primary product offering is the Axiom platform.

Formerly Digital Appliance Storage Systems Israel, Pillar Data Systems was created in July 2001 with funding from Tako Ventures, LLC, the venture arm of Larry Ellison

Larry Ellison

Lawrence Joseph "Larry" Ellison is the co-founder and chief executive officer of Oracle Corporation, one of the world's leading enterprise software companies. As of 2011, he is the third wealthiest American citizen, with an estimated worth of $33 billion.- Early life :Larry Ellison was born in the...

, founder and CEO of Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

. Oracle itself announced on June 29, 2011, that it would be acquiring Pillar Data, a transaction expected to close in July 2011.

History

Pillar Data was founded in 2001 by Berkeley and Stanford alumnus, Dr. Mike Workman, now CEO and Chairman of the company.

Architecture

Pillar’s Axiom allows companies to simplify data management by consolidating storage into one storage pool. Pillar Axiom unites SAN and NAS environments and enables management of tiered storage on one platform.

Axiom supports any combination of iSCSI

ISCSI

In computing, iSCSI , is an abbreviation of Internet Small Computer System Interface, an Internet Protocol -based storage networking standard for linking data storage facilities. By carrying SCSI commands over IP networks, iSCSI is used to facilitate data transfers over intranets and to manage...

 SAN

Storage area network

A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...

, Fibre Channel

Fibre Channel

Fibre Channel, or FC, is a gigabit-speed network technology primarily used for storage networking. Fibre Channel is standardized in the T11 Technical Committee of the InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards , an American National Standards Institute –accredited standards...

 SAN

Storage area network

A storage area network is a dedicated network that provides access to consolidated, block level data storage. SANs are primarily used to make storage devices, such as disk arrays, tape libraries, and optical jukeboxes, accessible to servers so that the devices appear like locally attached devices...

 or NAS

Nas

Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...

. Pillar also offers solutions for Microsoft Exchange

Microsoft Exchange Server

Microsoft Exchange Server is the server side of a client–server, collaborative application product developed by Microsoft. It is part of the Microsoft Servers line of server products and is used by enterprises using Microsoft infrastructure products...

, Oracle

Oracle Database

The Oracle Database is an object-relational database management system produced and marketed by Oracle Corporation....

, OracleVM, and VMware

VMware

VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....

 data.

Competition and Partnerships

Pillar directly competes against EMC

EMC Corporation

EMC Corporation , a Financial Times Global 500, Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company, develops, delivers and supports information infrastructure and virtual infrastructure hardware, software, and services. EMC is headquartered in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, USA.Former Intel executive Richard Egan and his...

, Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems is a company providing mid-range and high-end storage systems, software and services. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd. and part of the Hitachi Information Systems & Telecommunications Division....

, NetApp, 3PAR

3PAR

3PAR Inc. is a manufacturer of systems and software for data storage and information management headquartered in Fremont, California, USA. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hewlett-Packard. 3PAR produces a range of enterprise storage products, including hardware disk arrays and storage management...

, Isilon, Coraid, BlueArc

BlueArc

BlueArc Corporation is a network storage device manufacturer headquartered in San Jose, California. BlueArc was founded in 1998 by Geoff Barrall, Jeff Pinkham and Jon Meyer. Initially based in the UK, BlueArc transitioned its HQ to the US in 2000 and became a US corporation at that time although...

 and Compellent

Compellent Technologies

Originally named Compellent Technologies, Inc , founded in 2002, is a global provider of enterprise storage systems that gained recognition for automating data movement at the block level. The company is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA...

 in the midrange storage hardware industry.

Pillar has partnerships with Symantec

Symantec

Symantec Corporation is the largest maker of security software for computers. The company is headquartered in Mountain View, California, and is a Fortune 500 company and a member of the S&P 500 stock market index.-History:...

, FalconStor

FalconStor

FalconStor Software is a provider of disk-based data protection software. The Company's software includes Virtual Tape Library with data deduplication, Continuous Data Protector , File-interface Deduplication System and Network Storage Server , each enabled with WAN-optimized replication for...

, and Data Domain

Data Domain (corporation)

Data Domain Corporation was an Information Technology company from 2001-2009 specializing in target-based deduplication solutions for disk based backup....

 so companies can utilize data de-duplication solutions. Pillar also has partnerships with Oracle

Oracle Corporation

Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...

 and VMware

VMware

VMware, Inc. is a company providing virtualization software founded in 1998 and based in Palo Alto, California, USA. The company was acquired by EMC Corporation in 2004, and operates as a separate software subsidiary ....

.