Will the Iris (Hatzenbichler-Durchschlag) flower at FalconStor?

New marketing director bringing some DataCore expertise

Storage software supplier FalconStor has hired itself an EMEA marketing director to help get its FreeStor messages out there.

Iris Hatzenbichler-Durchschlag comes from heading up DataCore's EMEA marketing organisation and contributed to developing DataCore from a startup to a leading software-defined storage company, with yearly two-digit growth rates in Europe.

FalconStor would like her to do the same (if not more) for itself in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

FalconStor's CEO Gary Quinn set expectations high: "Iris has a true pioneer spirit and also possesses a keen understanding of how to take an established department and breathe new life into its markets and channels.”

The hiring sends out a message that FalconStor is back. It's gone through a near-death experience with the loss of its founding CEO, ReiJane Huai, collapsing revenues, and fell behind is storage virtualisation software peer, DataCore.

It has restructured, rebuilt its software product line, entered into fresh partnerships, OEM and reselling (Huawei), and is now focussing on growing its EMEA business, hence the hiring.

FalconStor has new software – FreeStor – which it describes as a horizontal converged data services platform.

It has money to spend on driving awareness, generating market demand, and expanding software-defined storage programs across EMEA. Hatzenbichler-Durchschlag will build channel partnerships across EMEA, drive product launches and generally raise FalconStor's profile in the geography.

Breathe deep Iris, and hit the ground running. ®