EMC puts great store in the future

EMC today launched its new enterprise storage network (ESN) products in the UK, while predicting it would see $10 billion worldwide revenue by 2001. The high-end storage giant announced a Storage Area Network (SAN) package aimed at centralising data into managed areas. These included its Connectrix ESN system, a fibre channel network device with 64 ports that connects EMC Symmetrix systems and servers. It also launched a new range of Symmetrix storage systems. These have a higher capacity, with over nine terabytes in one system. Also included in the launch were several software packages, including Connectrix Management software, Symmetrix embedded software, PowerPath - which balances channel traffic -and InfoMover software, which adds Windows NT support to EMC's existing software. It also announced the EMC ESN professional services - a move to get EMC consultants to help customers plan, design and implement this new technology. All products and services were available from today. EMC said overall storage demand was growing by 100 per cent per year. With customers wanting to put more data on one unit, capacity needed to be expanded - such as in the new Symmetrix products. Michael Ruettgers, EMC president and CEO, said his company's goal was for sales to reach $10 billion by 2001. 1998 showed turnover at $3,973 million, with net income at $793 million. However, Ruettgers pointed out that even if EMC sustained flat growth, its 35 per cent market share would bring in the required $10 billion. He estimated the overall market by 2001 to be $35 billion, saying there was currently 90 per cent annual growth in terabytes. Ruettgers also said EMC planned 40 per cent European growth. Klaus Eger, IDC analyst, said the market was moving toward SAN, but that today's products were not as revolutionary as EMC was claiming. He added: "EMC's prediction of $10 billion revenue is reasonable. Regarding software, it has been taking market opportunity away from IBM, but the SAN market it still difficult to predict." ®