We at Byte and Switch like a beauty contest as much as anyone. But frankly, our Top 10 Private Companies feature had us scratching our heads when we thought of updating it recently.

Why, we asked, rehash the same list of likely candidates poised on the edge of going public? BlueArc Corp. , CommVault Systems Inc. , Isilon Systems , Riverbed Technology Inc. ... We all know the score there. No longer startups, these companies are established players. They're successful, though some may not be profitable. They're on track to move to the next level, though no one knows for sure who'll get to IPO first. (See BlueArc Returns to Trough, Isilon Reveals IPO Plans, and Riverbed Sets IPO Terms.)

In other words, nothing's new.

ADVERTISEMENT

So instead of rearranging the deck chairs on the same old skiff, we decided to give our list of Top Ten Privates a respite and offer something different. What could be more interesting, we thought, than a close look at the roiling storage startup situation?

Where, we asked is the next big innovation? Where's the youthful verve that comes from fresh funding? Who's thinking outside the LUN with some really game-changing ideas about storage, the data center, and content management?

We found plenty of grist for our mill. Indeed, the problem was not finding storage startups to highlight, but sifting through an abundance of information to find a few really noteworthy companies.

Our criteria? First, we decided to limit our picks to those companies that got their Series A funding sometime in the last two years. Second, we tried to whittle our list down to companies with a really interesting gamble or a creative take on the myriad of technologies that inhabit the storage market.

And because we're very sensitive around here about preserving self-esteem, we didn't rank our our winners this time. ("You're all winners... except for you losers!") Our 10 picks are listed alphabetically, so the last is definitely not least.

We doubt you'll agree with all our picks – but a little controversy is the spice of life. And we'd like to know what you think. Hit the message board, by all means. If that's too public and you really want to lay it on thick, you can also email us at editors@byteandswitch.com.

Enjoy!

The List:

* 1) Asempra Technologies
* 2) Attune Systems
* 3) Gear6
* 4) PowerFile
* 5) Scentric
* 6) Silver Peak Systems
* 7) Trusted Data
* 8) Woven Systems
* 9) XenSource
* 10) Zetera

Attune Systems Inc. popped up in May with a file virtualization product, a good idea that already has been implemented by the likes of Acopia Networks Inc. , NeoPath Networks , NuView, and Rainfinity. (See Attune Launches Virtualization.)

But Attune takes a different tack. While the other file virtualization products are Linux-based, Attune's Maestro File Manager is built on the Windows-based CIFS protocol, which it claims makes it easier to set up and manage in a Microsoft shop than its competitors. It also provides the startup a powerful ally in Redmond.

Why is native CIFS important? Because CIFS is not an open protocol – it's controlled by Microsoft Corp. (Nasdaq: MSFT - message board). Being CIFS-based and a Microsoft partner gives Attune a leg up on Linux-based virtualization vendors when it comes to developing their products to work well with CIFS.

ADVERTISEMENT

"Attune is Windows-centric, and 90 percent of files in that [file server] environment are Windows," says analyst Brad O'Neill of the Taneja Group . "If I'm Microsoft, I'm overjoyed there's a player out there building on our platform. Now if they can drive that relationship into Microsoft's channel, they're in good shape."

Microsoft made Attune an OEM partner last month, which gives the startup visibility to the Windows roadmap and insures Attune will be able to stay compatible with current and future Windows products. (See Attune, Microsoft Partner.)

Alliances are important in this space: Most of Attune's rivals have been acquired or have powerful partners. EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC - message board) bought Rainfinity; Brocade Communications Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: BRCD - message board) gobbled up NuView; and Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO - message board) is funding NeoPath. (See EMC to Buy Rainfinity, Acopia Files Away $20M, and Brocade Bags NuView.) That leaves Acopia and Attune as unattached.

On the downside, Attune still lacks announced customers. The product is still largely in the evaluation stage. (See Attune Puts Software on Trial.) Attune targets Windows-heavy shops with 5 Tbytes to 15 Tbytes on their NAS filers. Maestro File Manager starts at $44,500.

Attune Systems is one of the companies on our list – along with PowerFile – that retooled itself before relaunching this year. Attune began as Z-Force, which originally tried to come up with a switch that would virtualize enterprise NAS in competition with EMC and Network Appliance Inc. (Nasdaq: NTAP - message board). (See Z-force Thinks Zmaller.) But Z-Force quietly went away in 2004, then picked up $19 million in funding in August 2005 under the Attune banner in a round led by Alloy Ventures and Rock Creek Capital Ventures .

Attune CEO Alan Kessler worked at 3Com Corp. (Nasdaq: COMS - message board), Palm Inc. , and Intransa Inc. before coming to Attune this year. CTO Francesco Lacapra has a NAS development background at BlueArc Corp. and Snap Appliance Inc. , and marketing VP Dan Liddle has been at NeoPath and Peribit Networks Inc. , and he was founder of storage management startup Radiance Technologies Inc.