Overland adds features and partners

Storage vendor Overland (NASDAQ:OVRL) has launched SnapServer DX, a new unified NAS and iSCSI SAN device featuring DynamicRAID technology to simplify storage provisioning. The platform includes what it describes as enterprise-class features such as snapshots, replication and remote management. The new device scales up to 288TB and the firm claims it is around a tenth of cost of feature comparable solutions from rivals such as EMC, HP and Dell.

The firm is pitching the hardware at the business applications market with focus on virtualsed server, Microsoft Exchange, Sharepoint, SQL environments and backup. According to Andy Walsky, VP EMEA sales & marketing (pictured), “SnapServer DX demonstrates our commitment to strengthening our portfolio to provide enterprise class features at a competitive price point.”

With a 36TB configuration hovering around the £5000 RRP mark, Walsky points out that channel partners are still able to hit margins of up to 30 percent. The channel boss also confirmed that the company had grown its active channel by around 15 percent in the UK and that its pipeline for business was strong.

The optimism from the firm is reflected in its financial position. Overland’s net loss for the fourth quarter was $3.7m down from a net loss of $4.2m in the same period of the previous year. However, the firms’ exit from its legacy OEM tape library business did lead annual revenues to slump by $7.5m to £70.2m. Walsky also points out that the MaxiScale technology it acquired in 2010 will be part of a new clustered scalable NAS and a private cloud offering that is due in early 2012.

In parallel, Overland is also engaged in a potentially lucrative lawsuit against BDT, IBM and Dell which should rule at the end of November. The combination of strong sales, a 30 percent gross margin and innovation driven road map has helped the firm’s share price triple over the last year. Walsky would not be drawn on when the company would hit profitability but added that, “We are on track.”

Channel Pro comment:

If you looked back at Overland in 2008, you would probably have seen a company not long for this world – poor financials, its major OEM relationship ending and top tier management heading for the door. Its survival has been based on a successful transition to disk, good intellectual property and ultimately the patience of the channel. Today the firm has around 1500 partners and a clear market proposition that resellers can go out and sell. Overland is by no means bulletproof but looking at the cost versus features list of the DX platform, on paper at least, it is an equal of any of its peers in a market that is still growing. Now if it can just get a big settlement or healthy ongoing IP revenue from its court case with IBM and Dell...