Two years after its founding, Netezza has launched its
tera-scale data appliance to help Fortune 1000 companies organize
and analyze vast amounts of data.
The Framingham, Mass., company says its Netezza Performance
Server (NPS) 8000 series will deliver better performance at a lower
price than previously available. NPS combines data warehousing
hardware, software and storage systems with analysis software.
Samantha Stone, a Netezza spokeswoman, told
boston.internet.com that the offering is particularly
well-suited for telecommunications, financial services, government
and retail customers. Two systems have already been shipped, she
said.
A key to its design is the placement of silicon processors near
the storage device. This architecture filters and processes records
as they come off the storage disk, bringing only the relevant
information for each query.
By combining an appliance packaging, off-the-shelf components and
a standards-based architecture that doesn't require customers to
restructure data, tools or applications, Netezza says it can lower
ownership costs for large companies.
That's not to say the NPS is cheap. Pricing for the systems,
which are now available, start at $622,000. Initial configurations
include the NPS 8100 (up to 4.5 terabytes total storage), the NPS
8200 (9 terabytes) and the NPS 8400 (18 terabytes).
Still, analysts who have previewed the technology have been
supportive.
"Companies that rely on data intensive analytic processes can
benefit by being able to dig into their data to increase information
flow and business productivity," Henry Morris, a vice president with
market researchers IDC wrote in a recent report.
Netezza is privately held and has raised
$28 million in venture capital from Matrix Partners, Charles River
Ventures and Battery Ventures.
In addition to being well-heeled, Netezza has moved
into new headquarters and added Sun Microsystems' veteran Ed
Zander to its board of directors. It has about 70 employees.
