High tech's holding companies.

• Author: Caley, Nora
• Position: Hightech Coloradobiz - Brief Article

WHEN YOU BUY A REFRIGERATOR, you don't want to buy the ice maker separately. That's the general idea behind the newest products from some smaller Colorado storage companies.

As more businesses learn that backup means more than copying documents onto a zip disk or printing e-mails and placing them in an in-bin, these businesses demand storage products that are speedy, have huge storage capacities, and are inexpensive. And the storage system must be all inclusive, because who has the time to buy a tape drive from Exabyte or a tape library from StorageTek, a server from Hewlett Packard, then put the whole thing together?

STORServer, a Colorado Springs-based manufacturer, recently introduced its all-in-one product, Backup Appliance. "We envisioned a plug and play appliance," says Laura Buckley, vice president of customer service. "It's like buying a refrigerator. You find the size you need with enough storage space."

Buckley says STORServer's customers range from a small school district in New Mexico to Vail Resorts, The Children's Hospital of Denver, and the University of Colorado Division of Health Sciences.

As with any tech equipment, the customer does not like to be passed around when a component stops functioning. "There is no finger pointing. We protect customers from...