Storage startup gives new hope to Coraid hardware

Athens, Ga. - May 24 2016 - Coraid appliance owners across the globe breathed a sigh of relief this week with the release of core•aid SR704 from startup SouthSuite, Inc.

After Coraid’s sudden foreclosure in 2015, 1700 organizations feared their hardware was destined for the scrapheap.

“People liked Coraid. I’ve heard from folks who’ve used their systems for years without rebooting,” said Brantley Coile, SouthSuite founder and former Coraid CTO. “The technology is solid but it badly needed software updates to correct product mismanagement in Coraid’s final years.”

The SR704 replaces Coraid software on existing storage boxes. It provides significant Improvements, such as advanced format 4K drive support, simplified command sets, and the option to expand Coraid systems using commodity hardware. SouthSuite purchased the intellectual property to EtherDrive SRX and VSX product lines after Coraid’s foreclosure fire sale.

“I was as surprised as everyone else to get my IP back,” Coile said. Coile explained that he doubted he would ever get the chance to continue development of ATA-over-Ethernet technology due to his decision to step down as Coraid CTO in 2013. Coile invented the ATA-over-Ethernet protocol in 2000. Referred to as AoE, it became the foundation for the then-new startup Coraid.

Coraid quickly established itself as an inexpensive alternative to Fibre Channel and a more efficient substitute for iSCSI. In their first four years of shipping storage products, the company sold $12M, mostly shipped out of an airport hanger in Athens, Ga.

In 2010 Coile successfully sought venture funding and opened new offices in Redwood City, Calif. He later left the company due to disagreements with new management.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a technology guy,” said Coile, “but after my experience in Silicon Valley I realized I need to be a business guy too. I’m building SouthSuite the right way, without venture funding. The core•aid SR704 is not only a big win for Coraid users, but for smart tech business.”

Coile and his team at SouthSuite have already begun working on updates for the core•aid SR line, such as support for NVMe and a wider variety of hardware platforms.

About SouthSuite: Faster, Cheaper, Smarter Data Storage

We’re a collective of coders and other creatives led by Brantley Coile. Brantley, the inventor of the PIX Firewall and LocalDirector, has over 25 years of protocol writing experience and a 10-year AoE track record, holds the rights to 26 patents, and is a pretty cool guy to share a beer with. At least we think so.

We’re no strangers to Silicon Valley, but we prefer the laid back atmosphere and creative energy of Athens, Georgia. Sure, the summers are hot, but we can’t complain about working 6 minutes away from Terrapin Beer Co, down the street from the University of Georgia arch, and around the corner from the 40 Watt. We do the hard work of making people’s lives easier by turning complex into simple. Any developer can make software more complex. We’re not just any developer.

SouthSuite
220 College Ave. STE 614
Athens, GA 30601
US

http://core-aid.com
info@southsuite.com

Press contact: Charlie Coile charlie@southsuite.com

This release was published on openPR.