Scale Computing Honored as One of the 2010 Indiana Companies to Watch

Online, July 21, 2010 (Newswire.com) - (Indianapolis, Ind. - July 21, 2010) - Scale Computing, a developer and manufacturer of complete, end-to-end midmarket clustered storage solutions, announces it has been recognized as one of the 2010 Indiana Companies to Watch, an awards program presented by the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, its Small Business Development Center network, Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

Forty-one companies from Indiana will be honored as outstanding second-stage companies during the third annual Indiana Companies to Watch awards program, held on Aug. 26 in Indianapolis.

Companies to Watch is an awards program that celebrates Indiana privately held second-stage companies, typically those businesses that are past the startup phase, are considered to be established, and face issues of growth, not survival.

Companies honored range from traditional businesses involved in manufacturing, financial services and retail trade to high-tech companies working in the life sciences, information technology, telecommunications, and aerospace industries. Among the 41 honored companies in 2010 is Scale Computing.

"We are honored to be named an Indiana Company to Watch. Indiana has a rich history of celebrating hard work and entrepreneurship, being amongst the fellow honorees is truly gratifying," said Jeff Ready, CEO and founder, Scale Computing. "This recognition is a direct result of all of the hard work and dedication of every single Scale Computing employee."

Scale Computing's Storage Nodes with ICS™ enables users to add storage hardware, known as storage nodes, as necessary without suspending services or migrating data. IT managers are able to build out storage clusters, starting with just six terabytes (raw) up to the multiple petabyte range on a single file system. As a unified storage platform, Scale's line of Storage Nodes provides for simultaneous SAN and NAS services from a single pool of storage, providing enterprise-class, truly clustered and highly scalable storage. Scale's storage portfolio aims to reduce costs while increasing control, as well as make storage management more convenient for IT administrators.

About Indiana Companies to Watch
Companies to Watch firms must employ between six and 150 full-time equivalent employees, have between $750,000 and $100 million in annual revenue or working capital in place, and demonstrate the intent and capacity to grow based on employee or sales growth, exceptional entrepreneurial leadership, sustainable competitive advantage or other notable strengths.
This year more than 300 Indiana companies were nominated for the Companies to Watch program. The number of applicants was narrowed to 141 businesses. From that pool, 100 finalists were selected, and 41 companies emerged to become the 2010 Indiana Companies to Watch.
This awards program is unique because of its focus on second-stage companies. The impact of these companies on Indiana's economy is immense. During 2006-2008 Indiana's resident companies averaged more than 33,000 second-stage establishments according to YourEconomy.org, an online resource of the Edward Lowe Foundation. Those second-stage companies employed more than 784,000 workers.

Looking at the contributions of these companies from a different perspective, from 2006-2008 only 9.5 percent of Indiana's resident establishments were in the second-stage category, however, they generated nearly 37.1 percent of net new jobs.

Indiana Companies to Watch is a collaboration among the Indiana Economic Development Corp., through its Small Business Development Center Network, Purdue University and the Edward Lowe Foundation.

This program would not be possible without the generous support of Premier Capital Corporation as well as Barnes & Thornburg LLP, Katz, Sapper & Miller, KeyBank and Ivy Tech Community College. The program is also supported by media sponsors BizVoice magazine and Inside Indiana Business.

About the program presenters:
The state of Indiana's lead economic development agency, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation oversees Indiana's statewide business attraction and development efforts, coordinates state programs, and incentives for companies looking to grow in Indiana, and provides assistance and funding to Indiana entrepreneurs and high-tech start-ups.

The Indiana Small Business Development Center Network offers free and low-cost information, management counseling and educational services to support the state's small-business owners and potential entrepreneurs, boosting economic development and creating jobs within the state.

As Indiana's land-grant university, Purdue has a long history and commitment to Indiana's economic development. In today's knowledge based economy, this commitment is more important than ever. Purdue supports the Companies to Watch program through its Office of Engagement, Center for Regional Development, Burton Morgan Center for Entrepreneurship, College of Agriculture, Purdue Extension, Technical Assistance Program, and the Purdue Research Foundation.

The Edward Lowe Foundation inspired the creation of the Companies to Watch program to celebrate second-stage entrepreneurs and their companies. Established in 1985, the Edward Lowe Foundation is a Michigan-based nonprofit organization that supports entrepreneurship through recognition, education and research with a focus on second-stage companies-those that have moved beyond the startup phase and seek significant, steady growth. The foundation also encourages economic gardening, an entrepreneur-centered strategy providing balance to the traditional approach of business recruitment.