SSSI and SSS TWG:
The SNIA Solid State Storage Initiative (SSSI) recently noted the transition in leadership from founding Chair Phil Mills of IBM. Phil Mills, Secretary of the SNIA Board of Directors, drove formation of the SSSI in late 2008 and was instrumental in developing the Initiative’s organizational mission and objectives as well as forming the associated SNIA Solid State Storage Technical Working Group. Due in large part to Phil’s Herculean efforts, the SSSI was successful in attaining critical mass by recruiting 26 founding members – a number that continued to grow to the current membership of 34 SSSI member companies, along with 56 SSS TWG member companies.
SSSI Mission:
The founding mission statement of the SSSI articulated a dedication to “foster the growth and success of the solid state storage market for client and enterprise applications… that encompasses marketing outreach, education, collaboration with SSS industry standards bodies, development of SNIA SSS Specifications and Standards (such as the SSS TWG), and a close following of advancements in non-volatile memory for solid state mass storage.”
Progress to Date:
Taking stock of the SSSI at this transition point, it is clear that the SSSI has been very successful in effecting these goals. The SSSI has active committees for Marketing, Business Development, Education, Technical Development and SSS Total Cost of Ownership. In conjunction with the work in the SSS TWG, the SSSI has made great strides in all areas. Deliverables achieved to date include establishment of the SSSI as THE authoritative voice on Solid State Storage Performance, collaboration and cooperation with other Standards groups and Trade Associations (JEDEC, SSDA, and others), completion of several key white papers and tutorials on many aspects of solid state storage, industry noted presentations and presence at trade shows and events, completion of a TCO calculator for SSS, on-going investigations in emerging areas of SSS technologies (such as “drive pairing” and “storage tiering”) and imminent release of the SSS TWG Performance Test Specification for Public Technical Review – the industry’s first SSS Performance Specification whose goal is to help standardize the nomenclature, metrics, methodologies, tests and reporting of SSS performance.
Looking Forward:
Phil leaves the Initiative at at time of great market activity and leaves in place a capable team to carry the SSSI forward. The SSSI Governing Board has appointed Paul Wassenberg of Marvell as the acting SSSI Chair. Paul has been the chair of the TechDev sub committee and allows for a seamless transition with Paul’s extensive interaction with Education, Busdev, and the SSS TWG. Paul and Marvell are also one of the founding companies of the SSSI and has been instrumental in getting the Initiative to where it is and will be key in moving us forward.
Come Join Us:
The SSSI continues to evangelize Solid State Storage and will have numerous opportunities to contribute to standardization of the SSS industry and widespread adoption and deployment of SSS mass storage.
Thank You Phil:
The entire SSSI wants to thank Phil for his dedication, leadership and vision and hopes to take the SSSI to the next level. In that vein, the Initiative actively seeks to expand its membership and to address topics of interest to the SSS community and the Initiative’s membership. People and companies that have an interest in participating in this exciting industry are invited to visit the SSSI at http://www.snia.org/forums/sssi