SanDisk

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This article is about SanDisk Corporation. For Computer Storage Device in Storage Area Network (SAN), see Storage Area Network.
SanDisk Corporation
Type Public (NASDAQ: SNDK)
Founded 1988
Headquarters Milpitas, California, USA
Key people Eli Harari, Founder, President & CEO
Sanjay Mehrotra, Founder, COO, Executive Vice President
Jack Yuan, Founder
Industry Flash memory
Digital audio player
Products Flash memory cards
USB flash drives
Digital Audio Players
SIM Cards
Employees 3000 (Q3 2007)
Website www.SanDisk.com

SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK) is an American multinational corporation which designs and markets flash memory card products. SanDisk was founded in 1988 by Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory technology experts. SanDisk became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ in November 1995. In January 2008 its market capitalization was US$6.5 billion. SanDisk produces many different types of flash memory, including various memory cards and a series of USB removable drives. SanDisk markets to both the high-end and low-end sector demand for premium quality flash memory, and markets to other equipment makers as well as direct to consumers.

The company is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with offices or manufacturing facilities in 10 locations in Asia (including Taiwan, China and Japan), 6 locations in Europe (including the UK, Ireland and Spain), and 3 locations in Israel (Kfar Sava, Tefen and Omer).

Contents

[edit] History

Eli Harari, an Israeli engineer, began making early contributions to EEPROM - electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a precursor to flash memory. Harari worked on flash memory at Intel, leaving to found a start-up which failed. In 1988, Harari launched the company that would become SanDisk with former Intel colleague Sanjay Mehrotra and former Hughes Microelectronics colleague Jack Yuan.[1]

Early on, Sandisk had recognized that digital cameras would need digital storage, and computers could become ever more mobile and light and would require a similar storage technology. In 1988 Harari offered the flash memory card technology to Kodak for inclusion in their cameras. Kodak offered to fund the development with the condition that SanDisk offer a three year exclusive contract for the 'digital film'. Harari and Sandisk rejected the offer, preferring to have competition in the marketplace.[1]

[edit] Financial information

SanDisk is a component of the GSTI Semiconductor Index

[edit] Acquisitions

[edit] MP3 license dispute

On September 4, 2006 at the IFA show in Berlin, German authorities seized all MP3 players that were in SanDisk's booth since Italian patent company Sisvel had won an injunction against it regarding the MP3 format.[3] Sisvel, who had previously filed a separate lawsuit in Mannheim, claims that SanDisk uses the MP3 format without paying the required licensing fee. On September 8, 2006, a Berlin court overturned the injunction and SanDisk put the players back on display.[4]

On March 16, 2007 SanDisk issued a press release announcing they had reached agreement and now acquired licences for all current and future MP3 applications.[5]

[edit] Products

FlashCP

FlashCP is a digital rights management technology for the storage of electronic materials (e.g. e-books) on portable devices. FlashCP is targeted primarily at students and allows transportation of copyrighted material while enforcing copy restrictions against the user. SanDisk acquired the technology in 2005 with the purchase of Israel-based MDRM. As an avid proponent of DRM, this is one of many such technologies developed by SanDisk, the other ones being Gruvi pre-loaded memory cards and the underlying TrustedFlash technology. SanDisk media players have near universal support for Windows Media DRM and rely almost exclusively on variants of the copy-protection capable Secure Digital format for removable storage.

Currently, SanDisk manufactures one drive that uses the FlashCP technology, called the Freedom Drive, which is part of the Cruzer line. Additionally, digital content can be downloaded to Cruzer Freedom from the SanDisk Plaza, a growing online store offering digital books, music, games, and education tools. Prices for on line products vary. Many selections are free. Once downloaded, the digital content may be used online and offline.

In addition, the company has a division named SanDisk Enterprise which develops and manufactures a secure USB drive. SanDisk Enterprise was created to provide a solution for enterprises and government agencies to allow mobilization of the corporate computing environment with password protected USB flash drives. The company attempts to address the organization's risk management needs.

SanDisk Products[6]
2 Gigabyte MicroSD flash memory card

Sansa audio and video players

Data recovery software[7]

[edit] Partnerships

On September 24, 2007 the SanDisk® Corporation announced the SanDisk Enterprise Solutions Technology Alliance (SESTA)[8]. This alliance allows partners to evaluate compatibility and interoperability of their products with SanDisk’s secure portable hardware and supporting software, as well as join with SanDisk to raise awareness of best practices in endpoint and portable data security. SESTA is backed by a roster of founding partners including Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems Inc.; McAfee Inc.; RSA, The Security Division of EMC; and VeriSign, Inc.

Other companies with cutting-edge security solutions are among the founding partners of SESTA, including:[9]

  • Applied Identity, Inc.
  • Centennial Software Limited
  • Check Point
  • ControlGuard
  • CoSoSys
  • Diversinet Corp.
  • Dmailer
  • LC Technology International, Inc.[10]
  • Lumension Security (formerly SecureWave)
  • MokaFive
  • Promisec Ltd.
  • RedCannon Security Inc.
  • Safend
  • Secuware
  • SmartLine Inc.
  • Sweet Spot Solutions Inc.
  • Tablus, Inc.
  • Vericept Corporation

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Harris, Scott Duke (2008-07-13). "Mercury News interview: SanDisk CEO helped launch digital revolution". The San Jose Mercury News. http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9868280?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com. Retrieved on 2008-08-06. 
  2. ^ "SanDisk To Buy msystems". TheStreet.com. 2006-07-31. http://www.thestreet.com/_iwon/newsanalysis/techsemis/10300419.html?cf=WSIWON1111051500. Retrieved on 2006-08-21. 
  3. ^ "SanDisk faces MP3 licence dispute". BBC News. 2006-09-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5312696.stm. Retrieved on 2006-09-08. 
  4. ^ "MP3 player court order overturned". BBC News. 2006-09-08. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/5326660.stm. Retrieved on 2006-09-08. 
  5. ^ "SISVEL and Audio MPEG Grant SanDisk an MPEG Audio Patents License". SanDisk. 2007-03-16. http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=86495&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=974784&highlight=. Retrieved on 2007-03-18. 
  6. ^ "SanDisk Innovation Timeline". SanDisk.com. http://www.SanDisk.com/Corporate/Timeline/. Retrieved on 2006-08-21. 
  7. ^ "SanDisk Introduces RescueProTM Software". SanDisk.com. http://www.sandisk.com/Products/ProductDetails.aspx?productID=&CatID=1186#reviews. Retrieved on 2009-03-20. 
  8. ^ "SanDisk Enterprise Solutions Technology Alliance (SESTA)". SanDisk.com. http://www.sandisk.com/Corporate/PressRoom/PressReleases/PressRelease.aspx?ID=3989. Retrieved on 2009-03-24. 
  9. ^ "SESTA Partnerships". SanDisk.com. http://www.sandisk.com/Oem/Default.aspx?CatID=1618. Retrieved on 2009-03-24. 
  10. ^ "LC Technology Joins SanDisk Enterprise Solutions Technology Alliance". LC Technology. http://www.lc-tech.com/company/press.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-24. 

[edit] External links

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