Making movies

Leg one of the EMC World commute (Cork to London) begins here, I'll deal with comments on my first stop over.

Since Val is on the road for NetApp's CTO office I'm thinking he has the easiest job in the world since it's always going to be a short customer conversation for him.

Just ask Sun what they think of NetApp's innovation to find out why.

//end_cheap_shot

Now, the fact that I'm a fanboy and pop culture consumer extraordinaire should surprise no one, yes at one stage my life was just like an episode of The Big Bang Theory. Then it was like something out of Kids In The Hall. (Yes Val Canada) Now it's kind of like 30 Rock. But even I nearly choked on the sickly taste of Val's latest bragging post.

I've enjoyed some movies on that list more than others but I'd be far more impressed if NetApp had actually made them than simply provided an infrastructure component to those who did make them.

I don't see the power companies who generated the electricity which powered those systems taking a bow and nor should they but things would certainly be much tougher had they not been involved.

One wonders if NetApp will be remembered at Oscar time? In the media business you're lucky if you're remembered in the next buying cycle.

Yes EMC and it's partner IBRIX (Partner being a word NetApp don't understand judging by the way they handled Decru and it's botched attempt to clone the VMware partner model) has it's own list of media customers who have made an impressive list of movies and TV shows, so much so that it contributed to Wired ranking EMC number 25 in it's top 40 most innovate companies in the world, but it's not really for me to hold up the achievements of the artists and dreamers out there and say "we helped too!"

As for mis-underestimating NetApp I do no such thing, I just don't overestimate them the way they prefer people do. NetApp is all about talking with the big man voice up even if it's testicles haven't fully dropped yet. There's nothing to fear when dealing with them in a competitive situation since regardless of how they present it their core argument always comes down to them saying their technology is "good enough".

And like the famous Saturday Night Live Sketch Point-Counterpoint between Dan Ackroyd and Jane Curtain I'm wondering if I should begin every response like this with the phrase "Val you ignorant slut.." ;-)