
Support costs
Calling all Pillar customers! Quick get your support contracts renewed now before the deal closes! Once Oracle have their teeth into you, expect those support prices to rise significantly
Oracle is buying CEO Larry Ellison's privately-funded Pillar Data Systems storage company. Pillar was founded in 2001 by Mike Workman, its CEO, and funded by Ellison's own investment vehicle, Tako Ventures. It has devised, built and is selling its Axiom storage arrays, ones using a 3-box design, with storage Bricks, up to 8 …
The only innovation Pillar achieved was spending >$500m of Ellisons and others VC money over 6-odd years and never making a bean. This really has cheered up my Wednesday, although I do need to wipe up the coffee I spat over my laptop, while laughing.
Flames, representing the VC money going up in smoke.
.... a bear finally did its business in the woods. To say this hasn't been long-anticipated is like saying the Polar regions are not that warm! As a buy, it's pretty sensible, it gives Larry control of another chunk of the stack, and isn't as expensive an albatross as the StorageTek buy, and he gets to pay himself back a large wedge of cash at the same time. Winners all round! Well, except probably for the existing Pillar customers. With OEM rebadgers like hp selling 3pars and Snoreacle selling Pillars, it looks like Hitachi really needs HDS to step up and sell some USP arrays.
NetApp and their customers!
After all those rumours that Elisson was interested in gobbling up NetApp, it's good to know that NetApp will remain independant and carry on with the good channel focused model that works so very well for the Integrators.
Yes, we the channel based NetApp advocates can now breath a sigh of relief!
Although the Oracle aquisition of Pillar comes as no surprise. It's Larry's money and he's just keeping tabs on it.
As quirky and autocratic PIllar were reputed to be in the past, they had improved and hired some new sales bods who actually understand storage. It was all coming together so very nicely too, but it seems as if Pillar may now slide into the cesspit of bullshit that Oracle customers are so accustomed to.,
Let's sit back and see just how channel unfriendly Pillar may become now that it's part of the Oracle monster..