From the what are they thinking column --
I am not sure what motivates venture capital firms to keep investing in technology that has yet to come to market. For example, I recently saw this article about holographic storage in The Register. My issue is not with holographic storage per se, but the fact that it has been just a short period of time from being available for -- 20 years or so. What market research are these people doing? There are four issues with long-term storage in my opinion.
- With density increase, you reduce your available floor space. As storage grows, floor space reduction is a critical area.
- As I have said time and time again, it is the interface. How is an operating FC-AL interface that is working in a modern operating system both the HBA and the driver? FC-Al left us about 10 years ago, and it is nowhere to be found. Interfaces do not last as long as the storage.
- The robotics around the storage must be serviced, and who has working robotics that are supported 20 years after release?
- Last, but not least, is the software interface (e.g., backup or HSM ) and the format of the data. What stands the test of time? I surely do not know.
This is not to say that I am not intrigued by the storage technology, and I do hope that holographic storage is successful in the market. However, like the author of The Register article, I too, have my doubts. What I do not understand is why people invest significant capital without a good understanding of the market they are entering and the market requirements. All the large archival sites I deal with or have heard about are concerned with the four areas I have outlined.
I do not get it.