Exabyte

Exabyte Corporation was an American data-storage manufacturer headquartered in Boulder, Colorado. The company developed and sold magnetic tape drives, cartridges, libraries, and related backup technologies for servers, workstations, local-area networks, and storage-area networks. It became especially well known for adapting consumer videotape technology to computer data storage and introducing the Data8 8 mm magnetic-tape format in 1987. The company was established in 1985 by Juan Rodriguez, Harry Hinz, Kelly Beavers, and a group of former StorageTek engineers. Its founding concept was to use relatively inexpensive consumer videotape media as a practical foundation for computer backup systems. In 1987, Exabyte introduced the Data8 format together with the EXB-8200 8 mm cartridge tape subsystem. This product helped establish the company in the computer backup market and gave it a distinctive position in an industry otherwise dominated by several competing tape standards. Exabyte expanded its portfolio through subsequent product generations and acquisitions. Its later technologies included Mammoth and Mammoth-2, although those formats were less successful than the original 8 mm offering. The company also added products and capabilities through the acquisitions of R-Byte, Tallgrass Technologies, Everex's Mass Storage Division, and Grundig Data Scanner GmbH. These transactions broadened Exabyte's exposure to 4 mm and DDS systems, QIC products, backup software, distribution, and tape-head engineering. Exabyte became a public company in 1989, listing on NASDAQ under the symbol EXBT. The company continued to compete in a changing storage market in which enterprise customers increasingly evaluated capacity, reliability, automation, transfer speed, media cost, and compatibility with established backup software. In 2001, Exabyte merged with Ecrix, another Boulder-based tape-storage company founded by former Exabyte executives. The combination brought Ecrix's VXA Packet Technology into Exabyte's product portfolio. By the end of its independent existence, Exabyte manufactured products based on VXA and LTO technologies. The company controlled the VXA technology but had a comparatively limited role in the broader LTO ecosystem. Exabyte announced on June 30, 2006 that it was seeking a buyer. Tandberg Data announced on August 30, 2006 that it would acquire Exabyte's assets for $28 million, and the transaction was completed on November 20, 2006. Exabyte subsequently ceased operating as an independent company. Its technology and products continued to be sold by Tandberg Data under both the Exabyte and Tandberg Data names.

Exabyte Corporation emerged in 1985 in Boulder, Colorado, from a group of former StorageTek engineers led by Juan Rodriguez, Harry Hinz, and Kelly Beavers. The founders were interested in applying consumer videotape technology to computer data storage. At the time, businesses needed affordable and dependable ways to back up data from servers, workstations, and networked systems. Exabyte's approach sought to exploit the cost and availability advantages of 8 mm videotape while adapting the medium for computer use. In 1987, Exabyte introduced the Data8 8 mm magnetic-tape format and the EXB-8200 cartridge tape subsystem. The launch became the central technological milestone in the company's history and established Exabyte as a recognizable supplier in the computer-backup market. Its products were used in server, workstation, LAN, and later SAN environments. The company subsequently developed additional 8 mm-based generations, including Mammoth and Mammoth-2. These products represented efforts to increase capacity and performance, although they did not achieve the same success or market impact as the original Data8 platform. Exabyte broadened its capabilities through a series of acquisitions during the 1990s. In 1992, it acquired R-Byte, a maker of 4 mm tape systems. In 1993, it acquired Tallgrass Technologies of Lenexa, Kansas, adding DDS drives, backup software, and a substantial distribution channel. The same year, Exabyte purchased Everex's Mass Storage Division, whose activities included QIC products, research and development in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and manufacturing in Fremont, California. In October 1994, Exabyte acquired Grundig Data Scanner GmbH for $2.9 million and renamed it Exabyte Magnetics GmbH. That operation designed and manufactured helical-scan tape heads, giving Exabyte additional control over a key component of its tape systems. Exabyte became publicly traded on NASDAQ in 1989 under the ticker EXBT. As the storage industry evolved, it competed across several removable-media standards and sought to balance proprietary technology with broader industry formats. Exabyte manufactured products for professional backup and archival use, including tape drives and automation systems. Its market position was shaped by the continuing importance of tape for relatively low-cost, removable, and long-term data storage, as well as by competition from other tape technologies and vendors. A major later development was Exabyte's combination with Ecrix. Ecrix had been founded in Boulder in 1996 by Kelly Beavers and Juan Rodriguez, two of Exabyte's original founders. Ecrix's research and development focused on creating a less expensive 8 mm tape drive, and it released its first VXA tape drive in 1999. The 2001 merger brought Ecrix's VXA Packet Technology into Exabyte, providing a new proprietary platform and extending the company's product strategy beyond earlier Data8 and Mammoth generations. At the end of its independent operation, Exabyte manufactured VXA and LTO-based products. It controlled VXA technology but did not play a major role in the wider LTO community. On June 30, 2006, the company announced that it was seeking a buyer. On August 30, Tandberg Data announced an agreement to purchase Exabyte's assets for $28 million. The acquisition was completed on November 20, 2006. Exabyte thereafter became defunct as a standalone company, while Tandberg Data continued selling related technology and products under both the Tandberg Data and Exabyte brand names.

• 2006

  Tandberg Data acquisition

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Tandberg Data purchases Exabyte's assets for $28 million, with the transaction completed on November 20.

• 2001

  Merger with Ecrix

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte merges with Ecrix and obtains access to VXA Packet Technology.

• 1994

  Grundig Data Scanner acquisition

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte buys Grundig Data Scanner GmbH and renames it Exabyte Magnetics GmbH.

• 1993

  Tallgrass and Everex storage acquisitions

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte acquires Tallgrass Technologies and Everex's Mass Storage Division, expanding into DDS, QIC, backup software, and distribution.

• 1992

  R-Byte acquisition

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte acquires R-Byte, adding 4 mm tape-system capabilities.

• 1989

  NASDAQ listing

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte becomes a public company on NASDAQ under the symbol EXBT.

• 1987

  Data8 format and EXB-8200 launch

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Exabyte introduces its Data8 8 mm magnetic-tape format with the EXB-8200 cartridge tape subsystem.

• 1985

  Exabyte is founded

  [1]Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Juan Rodriguez, Harry Hinz, Kelly Beavers, and former StorageTek engineers establish Exabyte in Boulder, Colorado, to develop computer-storage applications for consumer videotape technology.

Enterprise and professional backup-storage supplier focused on removable magnetic tape, automation, and compatibility with server, workstation, LAN, and SAN environments.

• 8 mm magnetic tape format · 1987

  Data8

  Data8 was Exabyte's foundational 8 mm magnetic-tape format for computer backup and archival storage. Introduced in 1987, it adapted the physical basis of consumer videotape technology for use with computer data. The format was paired with Exabyte drives and cartridge systems and helped the company gain recognition among organizations seeking removable storage for servers, workstations, and network environments.

• 8 mm cartridge tape subsystem · 1987

  EXB-8200

  The EXB-8200 was the cartridge tape subsystem launched alongside the Data8 format. It represented Exabyte's initial commercial implementation of 8 mm computer data storage and was designed for backup applications rather than consumer video use. Its introduction established the product architecture that supported Exabyte's early identity as a dedicated computer tape-storage manufacturer.

• 8 mm magnetic tape systems

  Mammoth and Mammoth-2

  Mammoth and Mammoth-2 were later generations of Exabyte's 8 mm tape technology. They were intended to extend the capacity and performance of the company's earlier Data8-based approach for professional backup and archival users. The generations were technologically significant within Exabyte's portfolio but were less successful commercially than the company's original 8 mm format.

• packet-based magnetic tape technology · 1999

  VXA

  VXA was a tape-storage technology developed by Ecrix and incorporated into Exabyte's portfolio after the companies merged in 2001. Its packet-based approach was intended to improve the handling of data on 8 mm tape and support cost-conscious backup deployments. Exabyte controlled the VXA technology and manufactured VXA-based products during its final years as an independent company.

• Linear Tape-Open storage products

  LTO-based products

  Exabyte manufactured products based on the LTO standard toward the end of its corporate life. These products positioned the company within a broader, industry-supported enterprise tape ecosystem rather than relying exclusively on proprietary 8 mm and VXA technologies. Exabyte's role in the LTO community was comparatively limited, but LTO products formed part of its final storage offering.

• 2006

  Sell Exabyte assets to Tandberg DataM&A

  Background

  Exabyte announced on June 30, 2006 that it was seeking a buyer after operating in a competitive and changing tape-storage market.

  Action taken

  Tandberg Data announced on August 30 that it would acquire Exabyte's assets for $28 million. The transaction closed on November 20, 2006.

  Aftermath

  Exabyte ceased to operate as an independent company, while its technology and products continued under Tandberg Data and the Exabyte brand.

  Asset purchase price. $28 million (2006 acquisition announcement and closing)

  Source

• 2001

  Merge with Ecrix to obtain VXA technologyM&A

  Background

  Ecrix was developing a lower-cost 8 mm tape drive and had released its first VXA drive in 1999. Exabyte used the merger to add Ecrix's technology and engineering work to its product portfolio.

  Action taken

  Exabyte merged with Ecrix in 2001, bringing VXA Packet Technology into the combined company.

  Aftermath

  VXA became one of the principal technologies in Exabyte's final product portfolio.

  Source

1. 1Exabyte Corporationen.wikipedia.org