Guest Column: Zero Is Thin Provisioning's New Calling Card

By James Koopmann, DCIG Inc.

No one likes to be thought of as a "zero" but that is exactly how 3PAR wants the industry to perceive the newest management features on its InServ storage systems. The adoption and integration of thin provisioning into 3PAR's storage systems already give it a competitive edge. But today's announcement of its new Thin Engine, a "zero" out algorithm that facilitates the adoption and preservation of thinly provisioned volumes in new and existing deployments may prompt even more companies to zero in on the savings that 3PAR's systems can deliver.

EMC, IBM, HP, Hitachi, and Dell are often touted as the primary enterprise storage vendors with up to 70% or more of the storage market depending on whose numbers you believe while others such as 3PAR make up about 2% of the total storage market. But that tide could be changing as noted in a recent article which states, "a comparison with EMC and other enterprise storage array competition implies that 3PAR is gaining market share."