Storage Technology Corporation

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Storage Technology Corporation (StorageTek)
Type	Subsidiary (of Sun Microsystems
Founded	1969
Headquarters	Louisville, Colorado
Key people	Patrick J. Martin, Chairman, President & CEO Eula Adams, Vice President, Global Services Jon Benson, Vice President and General Manager, Automated Tape Solutions Pierre Cousin, Corporate Vice President, Research, Development and Engineering Nigel Dessau, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Angel Garcia, Corporate Vice President, International Operations Roger Gaston, Corporate Vice President, Human Resources Robert Kocol,Corporate Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Roy G. Perry, Corporate Vice President, Global Supply Chain Management Brenda Zawatski, Vice President and General Manager, Information Lifecycle Management Solutions
Industry	Computer hardware, software
Products	data storage hardware and software, professional and support services
Revenue	$2.2 billion USD (2004)
Employees	~7000 (2004)
Website	www.storagetek.com

Storage Technology Corporation (StorageTek) is a worldwide technology company that delivers a broad range of data storage offerings. StorageTek is headquartered in Louisville, Colorado with manufacturing facilities in Ponce, Puerto Rico. It is now a subsidiary of Sun Microsystems, Inc. and referred to as Sun StorageTek.

1 Brief history
2 Technology Milestones for StorageTek
3 Products
4 External links

[edit] Brief history

StorageTek was founded by four former IBM engineers: Jesse Awieda, Juan Rodriguez, Thomas Kavanagh, Zoltan Herger and has become one of the most seasoned partners in data storage management. Storage Technology Corporation, which officially became known as StorageTek in 1983, originally challenged IBM's dominance in tape storage, expanded to compete in the printer business for more than a dozen years, introduced the automated tape library in 1987, and most recently has defined information lifecycle management as the framework for cost-effective and efficient storage early in the 21st century.

StorageTek entered global markets as early as 1971, by signing an agreement with Promodata of France, and by opening an office in Hamburg, Germany, in 1972. StorageTek entered the Japanese market in the early 1970s, and, within ten years of the company's creation, had expanded to Australia and other international markets. By the late 1970s, StorageTek had developed OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and reseller partnerships to further its reach.

Plagued by a series of missteps that drained the company's cash, including a failed attempt to develop an IBM compatible mainframe, and an optical disk product line, the company filed for Chapter 11 in 1984. New management was inserted under the direction of Ryal Poppa, a visionary yet dogmatic leader who steered the company out of disaster and led one of the most notable turnarounds in the history of the computer industry. Poppa chose to invest in a seemingly risky automated tape library system that 'picked' tapes with a robot arm and stored them in a silo-like contraption. The gamble paid off and StorageTek emerged as the dominant player in what became a lucrative market with little competition.

The creativity and innovation of StorageTek's engineers have been the source of more than 600 U.S. and 135 patents in other countries. StorageTek has acquired a number of companies along the way, including Documation (1980), Aspen Peripherals Corporation (1989), Network Systems (1995), and Storability (2005). These and other activities allowed StorageTek to expand operations in Ponce, Puerto Rico and Toulouse, France.

On June 2, 2005, Sun Microsystems, Inc. announced it would purchase Storage Technology Corporation ("StorageTek") for US$4.1 billion in cash, or $37.00 per share. On August 31, 2005, the acquisition was completed.

[edit] Technology Milestones for StorageTek

1970 - StorageTek releases its first product, the 2450/2470 tape drive, just 14 months after start-up to beat the business plan by four months.
1971 - StorageTek introduces the 3400 tape storage device; its first proprietary subsystem.
1973 - StorageTek’s disk division is founded.
1974 - StorageTek’s first 3600 tape drive ships.
1975 - StorageTek ships the first 8000 Super Disk and announces the 8350 disk subsystem.
1978 - StorageTek develops the first solid-state disk.
1984 - StorageTek files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and focuses R&D on automated tape.
1986 - StorageTek develops the first cached disk.
1987 - StorageTek develops tape automation and emerges from Chapter 11.
1994 - StorageTek introduces virtual disk.
2001 - StorageTek introduces virtual networking.
2002 - StorageTek introduces BladeStore, a disk array based on ATA disk technology.
2003 - StorageTek introduces the EchoView™ data protection appliance, a disk-based appliance that eliminates the backup window.
2003 - StorageTek changes the face of tape automation with the introduction of its StreamLine™ SL8500 modular library system.