Microsoft & Dell in the Storage Game Together Microsoft and Dell form Alliance Ben Alley
On Monday October 23, Microsoft and Dell Computers formed an alliance to develop advanced storage systems. Microsoft agreed to provide Windows 2000 as the OS for a storage device made by Dell. This should be an interesting test for Windows of how well its storage software compares to that of the competition--such as Compaq Computer, EMC and IBM.
The device is an extension of Dell's PowerApp "server appliance." Many server appliances which rely on data stored on servers run on Unix-based operating systems. Microsoft's vice president of embedded appliance platform group is quoted as saying, "There was some question about where Microsoft was in the server appliance space and relative to Windows 2000," and that "this agreement really underscores that Windows 2000 is a great solution for network-attached storage."
The first product under this alliance is expected to reach the market during the first half of 2001, with another shipping around mid-2001, offering 1.5 terabytes of storage space.
