Lefthand Networks

Lefthand Networks was established in 1999 in Boulder, Colorado, carving a niche for itself in the iSCSI storage area network (SAN) market. The company was a pioneer in developing IP-based SANs, focusing on software-defined storage solutions that challenged the dominance of more complex and costly fibre channel systems. Its core offering was the SAN/iQ software platform, which aggregated storage from industry-standard servers into a single, virtualized pool. This software-centric approach allowed customers to avoid proprietary hardware, offering the flexibility to use existing servers or purchase standard ones, which was a powerful value proposition.

The business catered primarily to midsize companies and the remote or branch offices of larger corporations that required cost-effective data protection and storage solutions. Lefthand Networks operated on a business model that involved selling its SAN/iQ software both as a standalone product and bundled with certified hardware from partners like HP. The company distributed its products through a robust network of over 500 resellers and distributors globally. This strategy proved successful, leading to significant revenue growth and market share gains between 2005 and 2008.

The company's key product, SAN/iQ, enabled the creation of highly scalable and fault-tolerant storage clusters over standard Ethernet networks. Its features included thin provisioning, intelligent cloning, data replication, and snapshots, which were particularly beneficial for server virtualization environments and disaster recovery operations. For instance, its cloning technology could dramatically reduce the disk space needed for storage in certain virtualized settings. A significant milestone for Lefthand Networks was its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard (HP) in October 2008 for $360 million in cash. At the time of the acquisition, the company had 215 employees and its technology was installed in over 11,000 systems across 3,000 customers. The deal was a natural fit, as about half of Lefthand's installations already used HP servers, and the acquisition allowed HP to significantly expand its storage portfolio for the mid-market.

Keywords: storage virtualization, iSCSI SAN, software-defined storage, data protection, network storage, HP StorageWorks, SAN/iQ, Bill Chambers, IP-based SAN, storage clustering, virtual storage appliance, disaster recovery, thin provisioning, data replication, remote office storage, branch office storage, storage management software, enterprise storage, server consolidation, data center solutions