Just as ethernets untether us, so does AetherStore, in its way. AetherStore pools your unused computer storage space, enabling you to create robust, secure shared network drives, with no new hardware needed. Considering that most companies only use a fraction of the space on their workstation hard drives, with AetherStore, you can reduce cost, save time, and increase your storage capacity on demand.
It’s also highly configurable, so you can create as many AetherStore drives for as many purposes as you need: set up one drive for backup and another as a primary server alternative, all with one piece of software. In no time: it takes just minutes to create a Store, simply by allocating available space from the machines in your network.
Of course they’re one of the New York companies who will be at the Dublin Summit, and why not? AetherStore addresses a problem that many of the 20,000 Summit attendees face constantly.
Location, location, location.
Founder Allan Boyd tells us more, and about what else he plans on accomplishing in Dublin.
Tell us about the product.
Office computers have a lot of spare hard drive space. AetherStore lets you pool together all of your unused space into one drive. Our software can use all of your spare storage from any of your Windows computers (both workstations and servers). Many offices have terabytes of space that have been paid for but will never be used; with AetherStore you can use your space.
How is it different?
Our product allows you to aggregate the spare storage from any of your available computers. Provisioning drives with AetherStore is fast and simple – and all of your data is encrypted (for security), replicated (for redundancy), and deduplicated (for efficiency) on your own premises. To be very clear: we don’t use the cloud, and you don’t have to buy any hardware. We just let you make use of what you already have.
No other product in the market makes scalable, feature-rich storage available to users – all while enabling the more efficient use of resources. It’s a real win for our users on all fronts.
What market are you attacking and how big is it?
There is spare storage on nearly every workstation computer and server in every office in the world. AetherStore is scalable by design, so it provides value across industries and for organizations of all sizes. With Dell shipping computers that have 500GB drives as the smallest available option, you can easily understand how much space is out there for people to use with their AetherStore.
The Worldwide Enterprise Storage Systems market is projected to be $37.3 Billion in 2015. Currently our core focus is IT/Network Administrators in the U.S. These employees are familiar with how much space remains unused on their hard drives, and typically they are also the ones tasked with meeting increased data storage demands with limited resources. By installing AetherStore, IT/Network Administrators can open up a large quantity of storage without having to purchase a new DAS, NAS, or SAN solution and increase their resource flexibility significantly.
Moving forward we are looking to create a presence in the Storage and IT ecosystems in developing nations, where underlying telecoms infrastructure is often not as robust, and internet connectivity may not be as reliable. AetherStore runs on commodity hardware and, as a local solution, does not rely on any internet connection or any cloud-based services. For markets that are growing differently than what we’re familiar with here, an easily accessible, low-cost, and truly scalable storage product is an ideal fit. And when those markets do get the more reliable, higher-bandwidth internet connectivity necessary for cloud archiving, we’ll be right there already.
What is the business model?
AetherStore is sold by perpetual machine license. Customers can opt-in to platinum service and/or maintenance and updates, which are billed annually based on how many licenses you’ve purchased.
What is your startup attending Summit and what are you hoping to get out of it?
We’re attending the Summit to spread the word about AetherStore. Workstation and server hard drives are such a widely under-utilized resource, AetherStore can save so many organizations a lot of money and a lot of storage provisioning pain. The prospect of being in the same place as 20,000 peers also provides an excellent opportunity to meet, and potentially team up with, interested individuals and organizations that are excited about the prospects for AetherStore in their regions of the world.
Outside of Summit activities, what are you looking forward to the most in Dublin?
Well, to be honest, my wife and I just had a baby – so getting some sleep will be high on my list! We’ll be out for beers though – and, of course, a fresh pint straight from the Guinness brewery!
What are the milestones that you plan to achieve within six months?
In the next six months we plan to have a successful launch behind us and be cash flow positive.
If you could be put in touch with one investor in the New York community who would it be and why?
We’re always interested to speak to investors who share our enthusiasm for having a real effect on how IT infrastructure will evolve in developing international markets.
Why did your startup choose New York?
You only get better by working with the best, and in New York you’re surrounded by some of the hardest-working and intelligent people in the industry. We chose New York because we aim to be the best.
What’s your favorite fall destination in NYC?
Bryant Park. The leaves change color late, the Holiday Shops are already out, it’s right by our AetherWorks office on 5th Ave & 42nd Street.
