... the companies which you absolutely have to
look at if you've got any new projects involving SSDs? This list ranks
companies based on the quarterly search volume of over 1.2 million annual SSD
readers here on StorageSearch.com
There's a 1st time newcomer to this
list - at the #20 slot - and 2 re-entries - apart from the usual incremental
moves and non-movers from the previous quarter. The new format below clears out
a lot of the detailed comments which used to appear in earlier editions. For a
detailed SSD commentary on each company - just click their logo or name.
If
you're searching for a common theme in the top 10 SSD companies in this
quarter - it's not in the interfaces or form factors or VC funding or
acquisitions. It's this... Every single company in the top 10 has its own
proprietary SSD controller IP and
architecture
- even if they also use
controllers from other
companies. Now there's an angle you may not have thought about before. SSD IP
is still an important factor in establishing leadership in the minds of the
market. We haven't gotten to the stage where the color or the
brand on the
SSD box determines how many get sold. Nevertheless some brands are now firmly
associated with particular concepts.
This is
Fusion-io's 12th straight quarter in the #1 slot. Fusion-io's search volume
was more than 2x the level of the #2 ranked company in this list and
10x the level of the #20 company.
StorageSearch.com tracks over 300
manufacturers of SSDs.
That's 30x more than when we started
publishing daily updated SSD guides in 1998 and 6x as many as when
we started this quarterly top SSD companies series in
2007.
Our
search volume based rankings give you an idea of which SSD companies other
readers like you have been following in the most recent quarter.
People
don't buy products (or companies) they don't know about.
StorageSearch.com
has been the leading publication in the SSD market since the 1990s. Our
readers have been making
SSD history
and not just reading about it.
.......
.......
How to interpret these
rankings?
The most important
thing is being included in the list rather than the position within it. As the
number of SSD oems has grown - since this series started - from 50 to over 300 -
and now SSD ISVs are another factor too - it's much harder than it used to be
to break into general awareness in the serious SSD market.
Our
brains haven't got any bigger. The SSD market has become
really important
- and we have to filter in (and filter out) more SSD messages - to recognize
those which matter. (That includes me too - BTW - as the
editor.)
Despite
the importance of being in the top SSD companies list - there are many
companies - which have strong positions and narrow product lines in their own
application niche - which can survive and thrive without ever worrying about
being in it. It's only when those niches get large enough to impinge on others
that the visibility stakes matter. Let's not forget that the whole of the SSD
market was itself a tiny niche in the
dim distant
past.
I sometimes get emails from SSD product managers griping
about the validity of these lists. My reply is that it's a marketing
reality they have to live with. Just as being ranked #1 or #91 on Google could
make a big difference to your company - being #1 or #99 with the readers of
StorageSearch.com makes a difference to your SSD business. It's not me
as the editor which makes the difference. It's our readers. SSD vendors often
tell me that our readers are the most significant new customers they see. (And
when it comes to financial matters and understanding the SSD market too - our
site is high up in the thinking of would-be investors, VCs, market analysts,
acquirers and go ahead vendors - as I know from my discussions with readers.)
I
also get asked by companies - what can I do to get into the list and improve
my rankings?
My reply is -
I'm just the messenger. I
created the format - but I don't pick who's in the list. I use the stats myself
to tell me - who's important and who's not - what's important and what's not?
Here's my advice for how to get better rankings...
Design
better SSDs. Improve your SSD marketing and spend more effort in
communicating with important SSD market segments. Improve the customer
experience of using your SSDs. Get your most enthusiastic customers to
spread the word about you by telling people they know that you are such a
great supplier.
