Israel Innovation 2.0

Last week Crescendo Networks announced that it raised $5 million in funding. The company, which provides software that enhances the Web application delivery process, will use the money to “further fuel sales expansion” and to move its corporate headquarters to Menlo Park in California, though engineering and some operations will remain in Tel Aviv.

Since 2002, when the company was founded, it has raised $45 million and attracted customers ranging from Forbes.com to Aeropostale to Fujitsu. As more business processes become based online and virtualization, SaaS and cloud computing matures, Crscendo Networks’s line of AppBeat products will continue to offer any size business with the necessary solutions to accelerate application delivery, cut data center costs and boost capacity for business growth.

As Peter van Oppen of Trilogy Equity Partners, one of the investors in the round, stated,

“As the IT world experiences a paradigm shift in the way applications are delivered, data centers are incorporating cloud computing, SaaS and virtualization as part of modern web application infrastructures. We believe Crescendo Networks’ application delivery solutions are perfectly poised to capitalize on these expanding market opportunities.”

Crescendo’s products include, AppBeat DC, AppBeat SC and Maestro Platform.

Mellanox Technologies Ltd., a semiconductor-based server and
storage interconnect solutions provider, announced yesterday that since the January release of its InfiniBand drivers for VMware ESX 3.5, it has received a sharp increase in demand and inquiries from “partners, and end-users from multiple
enterprise data center vertical markets”. The drivers are drawing interest primarily for their ability to consolidate I/O adapters and, as a result, minimize the set-up process in virtualized environments.

According to the news release, Mellanox’s consolidation claims have drawn “heavy interest from
Fortune 500 companies” interested in “the ability to immediately save I/O power (up
to 30%) and I/O cost (up to 50%).”

To back up claims about its drivers performance capabilities, Mellanox will be showcasing its InfiniBand drivers in action at VMworld Europe 2008 this week. VMworld Europe is led by VMware (Virtual Machine ware) and is a key conference for business and IT professionals on “virtual technology and business solutions.”

VMware’s website defines virtualization (also termed “cloud computing” by IBM and Google) as letting, 

one computer do the job of multiple
computers, by sharing the resources of a single computer across
multiple environments. Virtual servers and virtual desktops lets you
host multiple operating systems and multiple applications locally and
in remote locations, freeing you from physical and geographical
limitations. In addition to energy savings and lower capital expenses
due to more efficient use of your hardware resources, you get high
availability of resources, better desktop management, increased
security, and improved disaster recovery processes when you build a
virtual infrastructure.

Data center architects and IT managers in vertical sectors (such as banking, Web 2.0 and healthcare) who are trying to cut their data center costs and decrease risk through virtualization should look into how Mellanox’s InfiniBand drivers for VMware ESX 3.5 can help simplify the implementation process.

Company Facts

Founded in 1999 and based in Yokneam and Tel Aviv, Israel.

Eyal Waldman, Co-founder, Chairman of the Board and CEO.

Roni Ashuri, Co-founder and Vice President of Engineering.

Products: Silicon adapters, adapter cards, software and production development kits.

Website: www.mellanox.com.

Related entries:
Company in Focus: G.ho.st.
Company in Focus: XIV.

About the author: Lisa Damast is the Membership
Manager of ebizQ.net and currently resides in Israel. Any questions or
inquiries regarding this blog or ebizQ membership services can be
directed to her via email at ldamast (at) ebizq (dot) net. She can also be followed on Twitter, where she covers additional Israeli technology companies and Israel-related headlines and topics.