Exanet

Exanet, Ltd. was an Israeli enterprise software company that developed scalable network-attached storage technology for business and institutional customers. Its principal platform, ExaStore, was designed as a hardware-independent clustered NAS solution. Rather than tying customers to a proprietary storage appliance, the software could operate with Intel-based server nodes, standard Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking, and Fibre Channel-connected disk arrays. The architecture was intended to let organizations expand storage capacity and performance by adding nodes while presenting data through a unified file system. The company was founded in Israel in 2000 by Giora Yaron and Yossi Ben-Shoshan. It raised approximately $30 million through two rounds of venture-capital financing. Reported investors included Microdent Ltd., associated with Eitan Wertheimer, Evergreen Venture Partners, Coral Group, and LTG Development Capital. Exanet operated from Israel and established offices or operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Ukraine, and Japan, reflecting an attempt to sell and support its technology internationally. Exanet began shipping its first ExaStore products in 2003. The software supported Linux, Mac, and Windows environments and was aimed at organizations needing scalable shared file storage. In January 2006, the company joined the Intel Storage Community, aligning its offering with Intel-based storage infrastructure. Later in 2006, Exanet introduced ExaStore-ICM, a system for automating data storage and delivery services. In March 2008, it expanded its solution portfolio with the ExaStore Clustered NAS system and ExaStore Clustered NAS Server. The company also developed ExaSearch, an enterprise search product integrated with ExaStore. ExaSearch was designed to index and search information across file servers, email systems, groupware, databases, and employee directories. Its real-time indexing and support for both structured and unstructured information were intended to make newly created content quickly discoverable within a clustered storage environment. Exanet encountered financial difficulties during the global credit crisis and was unable to secure an additional financing round. On December 12, 2009, it entered temporary receivership. Contemporary descriptions placed its workforce at approximately 80 employees. On February 19, 2010, Dell acquired Exanet's intellectual property for a reported $12 million. The transaction did not amount to a continuing independent Exanet business; instead, Dell incorporated the technology into its own storage portfolio. Dell subsequently developed and marketed related NAS capabilities as the Dell Fluid File System, or FluidFS, running on Dell PowerEdge controller servers and supporting Dell PowerVault, EqualLogic, and Compellent storage systems through iSCSI or Fibre Channel connections. Exanet therefore ceased to operate as an independent brand, while elements of its engineering work continued within Dell's enterprise-storage products.

Exanet was established in Israel in 2000 by Giora Yaron and Yossi Ben-Shoshan. The company pursued the enterprise-storage market with software intended to make network-attached storage more scalable and less dependent on specialized proprietary hardware. Its core technology used clustered server nodes and a unified file system so that storage environments could expand while remaining accessible as a single logical resource. The company raised about $30 million in two venture-capital rounds. Reported backers included Microdent Ltd., Evergreen Venture Partners, Coral Group, and LTG Development Capital. Exanet also developed an international footprint, with headquarters in Israel and offices or operations in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Ukraine, and Japan. Exanet's first products began shipping in 2003 under the ExaStore name. ExaStore was an OEM-oriented storage platform comprising the software, Intel-based servers, Ethernet networking, and Fibre Channel-attached disk arrays. The software was hardware independent in concept and supported Linux, Mac, and Windows operating environments. Its principal technical proposition was clustered NAS with single-file-system scalability, allowing multiple nodes to participate in a common storage system. In January 2006, Exanet joined the Intel Storage Community. In November of the same year, it introduced ExaStore-ICM, which provided automated data-storage and delivery functions. In March 2008, the company introduced the ExaStore Clustered NAS system and ExaStore Clustered NAS Server as more complete solution offerings. Exanet's portfolio also included ExaSearch, an enterprise search application integrated with ExaStore. ExaSearch was intended to locate information across file servers, email systems, groupware, databases, and employee directories. It supported searching of structured and unstructured information and used real-time indexing to expose newly generated content quickly. The combination of clustered NAS and enterprise search was intended to help customers turn large stores of distributed business data into accessible information. Despite its technology and international sales effort, Exanet was unable to raise another financing round during a difficult funding environment. It entered temporary receivership on December 12, 2009, with an estimated workforce of roughly 80 people. On February 19, 2010, Dell acquired Exanet's intellectual property for a reported $12 million. Dell continued developing the relevant NAS capabilities under the Dell Fluid File System, later known as FluidFS. That technology was delivered through Dell storage configurations using PowerEdge controller servers and storage from the PowerVault, EqualLogic, or Compellent lines, connected through iSCSI or Fibre Channel. The acquisition ended Exanet's existence as an independent operating company, although its software technology continued in Dell's storage business.

• 2010

  Dell acquires intellectual property

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Dell acquired Exanet's intellectual property for a reported $12 million and subsequently incorporated related capabilities into FluidFS.

• 2009

  Temporary receivership

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Exanet entered temporary receivership after failing to secure another financing round.

• 2008

  Clustered NAS solutions launched

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced the ExaStore Clustered NAS system and ExaStore Clustered NAS Server.

• 2006

  Intel Storage Community membership

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Exanet joined the Intel Storage Community in January, reinforcing its use of Intel-based server infrastructure.

• 2006

  ExaStore-ICM introduced

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Exanet introduced ExaStore-ICM for automated data-storage and delivery services.

• 2003

  First ExaStore products ship

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Exanet began shipping its first ExaStore products, an OEM-oriented clustered NAS software and hardware configuration.

• 2000

  Exanet is founded

  [1]Exaneten.wikipedia.org

  Giora Yaron and Yossi Ben-Shoshan founded Exanet in Israel to develop scalable enterprise-storage software.

Exanet positioned itself as an OEM and enterprise-storage software provider offering scalable, hardware-independent clustered NAS technology. Its value proposition centered on unified file-system scalability, cross-platform compatibility, and the ability to combine commodity server infrastructure with external disk arrays.

• Clustered network-attached storage software · 2003

  ExaStore

  ExaStore was Exanet's principal enterprise-storage platform. It provided clustered NAS functionality with a unified file system intended to scale across multiple nodes. The broader solution could combine Exanet software, Intel-based servers, Gigabit or 10 Gigabit Ethernet, and Fibre Channel-attached disk arrays. The platform supported Linux, Mac, and Windows environments and was offered as an OEM technology rather than only as a tightly proprietary appliance.

• Storage automation software · 2006

  ExaStore-ICM

  ExaStore-ICM was introduced as an ExaStore-related product for automating data-storage and data-delivery services. It extended the company's core clustered-storage proposition toward operational management and automated handling of enterprise data.

• Clustered NAS system · 2008

  ExaStore Clustered NAS

  The ExaStore Clustered NAS system was one of Exanet's 2008 solution products. It packaged the company's scalable file-storage technology as a more complete clustered NAS offering for organizations seeking shared storage with single-file-system scalability.

• Storage server solution · 2008

  ExaStore Clustered NAS Server

  The ExaStore Clustered NAS Server was introduced alongside the Clustered NAS system in 2008. It represented a server-oriented deployment of Exanet's clustered storage software and was designed for enterprise environments requiring scalable network file access.

• Enterprise search software

  ExaSearch

  ExaSearch integrated enterprise search with ExaStore clustered NAS. It was designed to index and search file servers, email systems, groupware, databases, and employee directories. The product handled structured and unstructured information and used real-time indexing so that newly created content could become searchable quickly.

• 2010

  Sell intellectual property to DellM&A

  Background

  After entering temporary receivership and failing to secure additional financing, Exanet's technology became available for acquisition.

  Action taken

  Dell acquired Exanet's intellectual property on February 19, 2010, for a reported $12 million.

  Aftermath

  Dell continued development of related NAS capabilities under the Dell Fluid File System, or FluidFS, ending Exanet's independent operating life while preserving elements of its technology.

  Reported intellectual-property acquisition price. $12 million (February 19, 2010)

  Source

1. 1Exaneten.wikipedia.org