VA Linux enters NAS market

VA Linux Systems, the leading computer company specializing in Linux-based
software and server computers, has launched Linux-based $29,300 network storage
devices that holds up to 180 gigabytes of data.

The network attached storage (NAS) systems market is growing at a rate of 66
per cent a year, said VA Linux systems division senior vice president Ali Jenab.

NAS allows storage units to attach directly to a company's computer network,
or to the Internet, to store data ranging from company records to Web pages.
This as opposed to storage area networks, or SAN systems that use fiber optics
and a server to link data to a company's computer network.

Jenab said VA Linux hopes the NAS system will enable it to take market share
away from Network Appliance, which has been particularly successful among
mid-sized companies where Linux has had the bulk of its success in corporate
adoption. Network Appliance holds about 40 per cent of the market for NAS
systems, while EMC has about 30 per cent.