Chip-stacking startup taps ex-Seagate CEO Bill Watkins as an advisor
Bill Watkins was uncharacteristically quiet when he parted from storage giant Seagate as the company laid off hundreds of employees. But the tough-talking former chief executive didn’t stay down for long, and now he’s talking about what he’s been doing since January.
Today, he emerged as a board member and promoter for Vertical Circuits, a startup in Scotts Valley, Calif., that has a new twist on stacking chips vertically. The new stacking technique will likely lead… Continue Reading
Clickfree raises $10 million for storage backup service
Clickfree has raised $10 million in a second round of funding to expand its automatic storage backup service business.
The Toronto, Canada-based software company strives to fully automate the backup process. The products are aimed at those who regularly fail to backup content on their PCs because they do not have the time, desire or skill to install, set up and use confusing or complex software and hardware products.
Coincidentally, we wrote about a competitor, Seagate’s new… Continue Reading
Seagate makes backing up data even easier with Replica
Backing up your system is getting a lot easier this morning, thanks to an announcement from Seagate.
Most backup systems for computers are pretty easy these days, but most computer users still don’t back up their systems. In fact, only two in three people back up data, according to Parks Associates.
There’s something about backing up data that’s still too intimidating. I recently had two computers fail and a third one is on the ropes. Over the… Continue Reading
Seagate reports a big loss due to restructuring and downturn
Seagate Technology reported today that it had a net loss of $496 million, or $1.02 a share, for the second fiscal quarter ending January 2.
Revenue for the quarter was $2.3 billion, which matched the low end of revised expectations for the quarter from Seagate itself. But analysts had expected a loss of just 5 cents a share and revenues of $2.46 billion. A year ago, Seagate’s revenues were $3.42 billion.
Seagate’s loss includes $18 million of… Continue Reading
Seagate to lay off 10 percent and replace CEO Bill Watkins
Storage company Seagate Technology said Monday that it will lay off 10 percent of its U.S. staff — about 800 jobs — and that longtime chief executive Bill Watkins has resigned.
Stephen Luczo, chairman, will replace Watkins as CEO. Watkins has been with the company 12 years and served as CEO since 2004. He was always a colorful character, who took his employees on grueling team-building competitions in New Zealand.
We don’t know know whether he was… Continue Reading
Seagate CEO Bill Watkins seeks to avoid $#!+ eating contests in hard drives
Bill Watkins is always good unplugged. The chief executive of Seagate, the $13 billion Scotts Valley, Calif.-based hard disk drive maker, is trying to avoid commodity mud-wrestling and is trying to develop his own version of chip-based flash memory to replace the low-end of the hard drive market. It’s a tough balancing act to invest in new technology and deal with the worst recession in memory at the same time. We attended a dinner in… Continue Reading
Roundup: Layoffs hit Flickr, Apple’s 3D desktop, and more
Here’s the latest action:
Yahoo troubles hit Flickr — George Oates, one of the Yahoo-owned photo site’s early employees, is among the latest layoffs.
Apple to build 3D desktop? — It’s exploring the possibility, according to patent filings published by MacRumors.
Palm may unveil new operating system at Consumer Electronics Show – The mobile device company isn’t commenting, but at least one analyst thinks this is likely.
Former chairman says Intel should power cars — Andrew Grove is urging chief executive Paul… Continue Reading
Western Digital pushes into living room with WD TV
Western Digital may have uncovered the trick to getting into your living room: simplicity. Today, the company is launching its WD TV HD Media Player, a box that makes it very easy to listen to music or watch movies, home videos, and pictures on your TV.
The box isn’t hooked up to the Internet. You simply connect one of Western Digital’s MyPassport portable backup hard drives to a computer. You transfer everything you want to watch… Continue Reading
Seagate elbowing its way further into consumer backup market
Seagate is elbowing its way further into the consumer tech market with new backup products that it will launch with a broad consumer-oriented ad campaign.
The devices, being introduced today, fall under Seagate’s FreeAgent brand. They range from portable storage drives to desktop backup drives for the PC or the Mac. They complement the more technical Maxtor brand of backup storage products and come in a variety of colors.
The marketing campaign will highlight the usefulness of… Continue Reading
Data Robotics raises $15 million for Drobo backup storage business
Data Robotics has raised $15 million in a fourth round of funding for its consumer-focused Drobo backup storage business.
The Santa Clara, Calif., company makes “data robots,” or external backup storage units that make it easy to back up data on a computer or a network of computers. The lead investor is Greylock Partners. Other participants include new investor New Enterprise Associates, as well as existing investors RRE Ventures and Sutter Hill Ventures. To date, the… Continue Reading
Q&A: Hard-driving Seagate CEO talks about making money in storage
Bill Watkins is a hard driver. The CEO of Seagate, the $13 billion hard disk drive maker based in Scotts Valley, Calif., is racing to take advantage of the boom in storage as digital media spreads everywhere: to iPods, home servers, game consoles, handhelds — not to mention desktops and laptops.
The Texas-raised son of an oil man has been CEO since 2004. He joined the company in 1996 after Seagate bought rival disk drive maker… Continue Reading
Seagate will buy online backup company EVault for $185M
Seagate Technology said it will acquire online storage and backup company EVault, of Emeryville, for $185 million cash.
EVault was founded in 1997, and raised at least $16 million in venture capital since 2000 from the Business Engineering Science & Technology Discoveries Fund, Council Ventures; Jemison Investment, Massey Burch, River Cities Capital Funds and individuals.
(This story originally posted 12/21)