At my previous employer NetApp® (Network Appliance), funny things would often happen around April 1 each year (surprise!).

The year 2002 was not a particularly happy one in silicon valley.  Following years of dotcom fueled growth, NetApp and other companies saw the business environment weaken.

NetApp had been growing quickly and was rapidly constructing offices to hold the expected employee growth.  Following the downturn, unfinished construction and materials sat idle, a sad sight. 

Also disheartening – NetApp sat in a sprawling corporate park, with the nearest espresso shop miles away.

A New Sign

On the morning of April 1, 2002, employees arriving to work were pleased to see a new sign.  Starbucks® was coming to town! 

The Future Home of Network Appliance sign had been replaced with a sign announcing a forthcoming coffee shop, a welcome sight.

One of the funniest things about this event was that it generated very little buzz on April 1.  Starbucks shops were spreading like weeds, and it simply was not surprising to see yet another one arriving down the street.

Widespread discussion did not ensue until the next day, when the sign was pulled down.

“What happened?!?  I thought we were getting a Starbucks!” and similar comments were frequently heard in the office hallways.

Then and Now

I’m happy to say things have changed in the years since.

NetApp recovered, resumed growing, and filled the empty field with new buildings and parking facilities.

But still no Starbucks.

My disclaimer: Starbucks and their logo are registered trademarks of Starbucks Corporation.  The appearance of the new Starbucks location described here appears to have been a hoax (though if true, would have been welcome).  I think their coffee is tasty and recommend it, but I otherwise have no association with Starbucks.

System Manager was recently back in the news in a positive light, featured in this InfoWorld article on data deduplication appliances. 

It seems System Manager helped tip the balance in favor of NetApp against the products from FalconStor and Spectra Logic.  I’m happy to see that, since System Manager explicitly renewed focus on simplicity and integration with Windows, making it easier to use NetApp’s entry-level platforms.

Some excerpts from the article:

IT has two options for managing the FAS2040: Web browser and the stand-alone management console, the NetApp System Manager. While the browser-based management portal was straightforward, I found System Manager much more user-friendly and intuitive, even more so than FalconStor’s UI. Both storage controllers were represented in the management utility with each major function broken into separate grouped tasks, making it very easy to locate specific items.

There are, however, useful graphs and data points, such as volume details and space saved, scattered throughout System Manager. NetApp did a good job of organizing System Manager so that the amount of information presented in it is applicable and useful, without going overboard and inundating you with too much data.

Nice work from the System Manager team!

(Thanks for reading – Steve Klinkner)