A Cape Breton company is rapidly becoming one of the world’s leading innovators in massive, cloud-based, data storage servers. 45Drives is based in Sydney and was founded by Doug Milburn and Steve Lilley, the techno-preneurs behind Protocase.

45Drives currently has 15 employees at their production facility in Ashby. Their line of mass-storage servers is called Storinator, a quirky and approachable brand that differentiates them from large corporate competitors like Dell, EMC, and HP.

Doug Milburn, 45Drives Co-Founder

“I’m proud of 45Drives and our team,” said Co-Founder Doug Milburn. “It’s important to differentiate yourself in this market, and we found the best way to do that is to let our personalities shine through. As Cape Bretoners, being available and welcoming comes naturally to us, so we embrace that when helping our customers.”

Among 45Drives’ clients are large companies like Google, Intel, Apple, and HBO. However, their largest customer segments are universities, engineering firms, video producers, and small to medium-sized enterprises.

45Drives uses open-source operating systems and imports computer components to build the servers. Their sister company Protocase manufactures the chassis and enclosure, and then 45Drives’ staff do the final assembly.

In the last five years, 45Drives has experienced an average growth rate of 40%, which bodes well for the company’s future.

“We have a unique product that provides an open platform, mid-market enterprise storage solution,” said Milburn. “The Storinator costs less and exceeds the performance of our competitors’ higher-priced proprietary solutions. We are in a really great place in this market.”

For more information, visit 45Drives.com