HP overtakes NetApp in IDC rankings

Hitachi Data Systems catches up with Dell

NetApp's long run of growth could be slowing; IDC's quarterly storage tracker shows a resurgent HP overtaking it in worldwide external disk storage systems factory revenue.

IDC's numbers for the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2010 list EMC in top position with a 26 per cent share of the revenue at $1,582m, IBM is second with a 16.3 per cent share ($996m), and HP third with $704m revenue and an 11.6 per cent share. NetApp, which was in this position in the third quarter, has dropped to fourth position with $630m revenue and a 10.3 per cent share.

Compared to Q4 in 2009, NetApp revenues grew 43.7 per cent, slower than the Q3, 2009 to Q3, 2010, growth of 54.9 per cent. HP's Q3 2010 revenue was $575m, growing by $129m to Q4's $704m. The number is bulked up by 3PAR revenues being included in HP's numbers.

IDC also shows a fifth place tie between Hitachi Data Systems and Dell, which Dell held alone in the previous quarter. This is a good performance by HDS, particularly as Dell's numbers are increased by having Compellent's 0.55 per cent share included.

In its examination of total world-wide disk storage systems factory revenue, IDC records EMC and HP sharing first place, both with 19.2 per cent shares of the revenue. In the previous quarter EMC had 19.5 per cent and HP 19.4 per cent. The 3PAR effect must be at work again.

The other positions are unchanged with IBM third, Dell fourth and NetApp fifth. However, IBM"s revenue share rose from Q3's 14.8 per cent ($1,035m) to Q4's 18.5 per cent ($1,528m). Dell's went down from 12 per cent to 10.9 per cent, as did NetApp's from 8.6 per cent to 7.6 per cent.

IBM's revenue rise of $493m, a 47.6 per cent jump, was not due to any substantial acquisition. IDC mentions storage consolidation, data centre upgrades, new product introductions and strong high-end storage system sales, with systems costing more than $250,000, as the main drivers of growth in the quarter.

If IBM can keep its growth rate up then the top positions in the table are going to change. ®