Made in Colorado: Computer & communications equipment/software

Eric Peterson //April 1, 2012//

Made in Colorado: Computer & communications equipment/software

Eric Peterson //April 1, 2012//

Hyper ISE Data Storage System (made by X-IO)
Colorado Springs

www.x-io.com
 

ISE stands for Intelligent Storage Element, and it’s what puts X-IO’s award-winning enterprise storage system at the head of the class, says Chief Technology Officer Steve Sicola. Debuting last summer, X-IO’s 14.4-terabyte Hyper ISE “looks the same from the outside, but it completely fuses solid state drives and hard drives into a unique thinking system,” Sicola says. “It’s like radar detecting storms. It detects workload while it’s happening and before it’s happening, and learns constantly over time.”
This makes for a quantum leap in querying databases and enabling virtual desktops. “It just flies,” says Sicola, noting that the system recently set a world record for processing banking applications.
X-IO has had a somewhat convoluted history since its founding as Xiotech in Minnesota in 1995, moving to Boulder after Seagate acquired it in 1999. Seagate spun it off in 2002, then a cadre comprised of ex-Compaq management took the reins in 2007 and moved it to Colorado Springs. Sicola says the company has enjoyed 20 percent growth in recent years and now has about 300 employees.

24 Karat Gold Archive Discs (made by MAM-A Inc.)
Colorado Springs
www.mam-a.com

Formerly a division of Mitsui, MAM-A has been an independent company since 2003 and touts its CD-Rs and DVD-Rs as the gold standard for archiving data, thanks in large part to a reflective layer of 24 karat gold. Explains Lora Swenson, MAM-A’s sales manager: “24 karat gold is a noncorrosive and nonoxidizing metal. This is really the safest way to store data.”
MAM-A touts a 300-year longevity on its 24 Karat Gold CD-Rs, outlasting hard drives, Blu-Ray discs, and even microfilm. Swenson says law enforcement is a big market for MAM-A: The NYPD and LAPD are customers. So is the Smithsonian Institute, the Library of Congress, and a host of other organizations and businesses.
“News flash: Although people aren’t using CDs for music like they used to, they are still really convenient,” says Swenson, touting the new BDXL format with a capacity of 100 gigabytes (versus 25 gigabytes per Blu-Ray disc). “Discs are an extremely good backup method for small- and medium-sized businesses.” With about 35 employees, MAM-A makes its discs both at its newly expanded Colorado Springs plant and overseas.

Crossfire Solutions
(made by Rivet Software)
Denver
www.rivetsoftware.com

Returning as CEO late last year, Mike Rohan founded Rivet Software in 2002 to catch the coming XBRL wave in the post-Enron regulatory environment. “We think of XBRL as the global language of money,” he says. “In 10 years, everything is going to be in this format.”
Now mandated by the SEC and other regulatory agencies for large public companies, XBRL (eXtensible Business Reporting Language) is used in financial statements and other SEC filings, and Rivet’s Crossfire Solutions software is now used by 1,600 public companies worldwide.
“We have to thank the SEC,” Rohan jokes. “There are just a lot of public companies that need our help. Since we started eight years ago, we’ve developed a lot of credibility and know-how.”
Beyond its Crossfire products, Rivet has a busy services division that provides XBRL consulting and support. About half of Rivet’s 700 employees are in Denver (the second largest outpost is in India), and the company continues to grow by leaps and bounds. Rohan says he expects to hire about 200 people in Colorado this year alone. “I think we’ve run Denver dry of accountants,” Rohan cracks.

10 More
NexGen n5 Storage System
NexGen Storage, Louisville
www.nexgenstorage.com

Rebit Backup Drives
Rebit,
Longmont
www.rebit.com

T-Finity Tape Library
Spectra Logic, Boulder
www.spectralogic.com

SolidFire Storage Solution
SolidFire, Boulder
www.solidfire.com

Printed circuit boards
Advanced Circuits, Aurora
www.4pcb.com

QuarkXPress design software
Quark, Denver
www.quark.com

Rally Agile Platform
Rally Software,
Boulder
www.rallydev.com

MySafeWorkplace anonymous hotline and case management software
Business Controls, Greenwood Village
www.businesscontrols.com

FullContact
contact
management
software
FullContact,
Denver
www.fullcontact.com

Graphicly comic
book apps
Graphicly, Boulder
www.graphic.ly