NetApp, Inc. is a storage and data management company headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. It is a member of the NASDAQ-100,[1] and has ranked in the Fortune 500 since 2012.[2] Founded in 1992[3] with an IPO in 1995,[4] NetApp offers software, systems and services to manage and store data, including its proprietary Data ONTAP operating system.[5]
History edit
NetApp was founded in 1992 by David Hitz, James Lau,[6] and Michael Malcolm.[3][7] At the time, its major competitor was Auspex Systems. In 1994, NetApp received venture capital funding from Sequoia Capital.[8] It had its initial public offering in 1995. NetApp thrived in the internet bubble years of the mid 1990s to 2001, during which the company grew to $1 billion in annual revenue. After the bubble burst, NetApp's revenues quickly declined to $800 million in its fiscal year 2002. Since then, the company's revenues have steadily climbed.
In 2006, NetApp sold the NetCache product line to Blue Coat Systems. In 2014, NetApp acquired Riverbed Technology's SteelStore line of data backup and protection products,[9] which it later renamed as AltaVault.[10] On June 1, 2015, Tom Georgens stepped down as CEO and was replaced by George Kurian.[11][12] In December 2015, NetApp acquired flash storage vendor SolidFire for $870 million.[13]
Syrian surveillance edit
In November 2011, during the 2011 Syrian uprising, NetApp was named as one of several companies whose products were being used in the Syrian government crackdown. The equipment was allegedly sold to the Syrians by an authorized NetApp reseller.[14]
On April 7, 2014, NetApp was notified by the US Department of Commerce "that it had completed its review of this matter and determined that NetApp had not violated the U.S. export laws", and that the file on the matter had been closed.[15]
Legal dispute with Sun Microsystems edit
In September 2007, NetApp started proceedings against Sun Microsystems, claiming that the ZFS File System developed by Sun infringed its patents.[16] The following month, Sun announced plans to countersue based on alleged misuse by NetApp of Sun's own patented technology.[17] Several of NetApp's patent claims were rejected on the basis of prior art after re-examination by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.[18] On September 9, 2010, NetApp announced an agreement with Oracle Corporation (the new owner of Sun Microsystems) to dismiss the suits.[19]
- ^ "Historical Data – NASDAQ-100 Index". Nasdaq.com. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ "NetApp". Fortune 500. Time Inc. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ a b "Corporate brief". NetApp. Retrieved September 27, 2013.
- ^ "FAQs". NetApp. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ "Company Snapshot" (PDF). NetApp. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
- ^ "Executive Bios". NetApp. 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-13.
- ^ "Michael Malcolm Resigns as Chairman of the Board of CacheFlow to Focus on New Start-Up Opportunity". Business Wire. 13 November 2000. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
- ^ "Sequoia Capital funds NetApp".
- ^ Gagliordi, Natalie (27 October 2014). "NetApp buys Riverbed Technology's Steelstore business". ZDNet. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ Adshead, Antony (18 May 2015). "NetApp launches AltaVault hybrid cloud backup appliance family". ComputerWeekly. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "NetApp Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors". NetApp. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2015-06-01.
- ^ "NetApp Announces Changes to Executive Leadership Team and Board of Directors". Investing.com. 2015-06-01. Retrieved 2015-06-02.
- ^ Novet, Jordan (21 December 2015). "NetApp acquires flash storage vendor SolidFire for $870M". VentureBeat. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ "Companies That Aid Syria Crackdown Deserve Sanctions' Slap: View". Businessweek. 2011-11-14. Retrieved 2012-03-25.
- ^ "NetApp response to allegations of potential use of equipment in Syria". NetApp. 2014-04-09. Retrieved 2014-05-23.
- ^ "NetApp files patent suit against Sun". September 5, 2007.
- ^ "Sun plans to countersue NetApp". October 24, 2007.
- ^ "NetApp Patent Lawsuit Against ZFS Open Source Technology". Archived from the original on 2010-11-09. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- ^ "Oracle, NetApp agree to settle ZFS patent litigation". September 10, 2010. Retrieved September 10, 2010.