To Compete against a Faster Horse; Try an Automobile

In life, fast generally beats slow. And when it comes to business - faster apps are better apps.  Fast makes application owners happier and end-users joyous.  Ask any IT Director to remember that last time the Director of Applications asked for slower anything - slower servers, slower storage or solar networks. Success can be measured; it is doing what you do - only faster.

Take FedEx as an example.  They built a world-class business around the 'When it Absolutely, Positively, has to there Overnight' problem.  But to solve this problem FedEx did not build a faster car or create a faster jet. FedEx looked at the problem differently and created a new paradigm to solve complex logistical challenges – one that did not involve frankensteining a faster horse.

In the IT world, All Flash Arrays are like a faster horse.  They solve the problem of making- applications–run-faster by taking the LUN paradigm and replacing the slow components (rotating media) with fast components (flash memory).  Today's AFA LUNs are a faster horse (actually, a much faster horse).

So how can you beat something that takes the tried and true known way of doing things and makes it faster – how do you compete against a faster horse?

In a sense, Tintri is doing what FedEx did, building a solution that is not based on a “faster horse”. And that’s the rub.  People are used to talking about horses (engines are still measured in horsepower).  IT folks are comfortable talking about LUNs.  It is the common way we look at building application infrastructures.

Tintri’s true challenge is educating a generation of really smart IT people used to using LUNs and volumes as the building blocks for application performance, protection and analytics.  Tintri is a different and considerably simpler solution. But it is not the proverbial faster horse.

Our goal is to take the Powerpoint out of our go-to-market conversations and show people that different is better.  Real-world, real-time demos.  POC equipment for all the “show-me state” people.  Take the car for a drive.  In the city, on the highway – load it up with the family.  See how well it handles the curves.  Can it pass someone on the highway?  Forget the specs (which are good); take it for a spin and enjoy the ride.  This is not a faster horse – this is a new engine.