CTERA Networks: Welcome to Platform Era for Enterprise Cloud Storage

Cloud storage services provider CTERA Networks yesterday announced it has raised $25 million in a Series C financing round led by Bessemer Venture Partners. The funds are specifically earmarked for global channel sales expansion.

Benchmark Capital, Cisco Systems (CSCO) and Venrock also participated in the financing round.

Liran Eshel, the company’s CEO, said in a blog post:

“CTERA has identified unprecedented demand among leading service providers, resellers and integrators and cloud storage vendors who have all assembled to provide customer-ready cloud storage solutions. By optimizing their cloud choices and leveraging these solutions across their existing sales and support teams, these solutions are both cost-effective … and also highly enabling to our channel’s long-term business models.”

Bessemer Partner Adam Fisher will join CTERA’s board of directors as part of the financing round.

“There is a wave of disruption transforming how organizations deploy and manage data storage that is propelled by the adoption of centrally delivered and managed, cost-effective and scalable cloud storage and CTERA is at the center of it all. We’re excited to partner with this emerging leader as it capitalizes on a unique market opportunity,” Fisher said in a prepared statement.

CTERA’s platform transforms private or public cloud infrastructures into scalable, secure, business-critical data services, according to the company.

The platform enables organizations “to sync, serve and protect data from a centrally managed solution that is 100 percent secure and deployable on the cloud infrastructure of their choice.”

Eshel said he believes the new funds will allow his company to usher in the “Platform Era” for enterprise cloud storage.

“Every day, I’m amazed at the progress that we make as an organization as well [as] the impact that a lean and hungry team of cloud storage lovers is making on the traditional IT guard … and winning. Much of our story is yet to be written, but the first chapters are incredibly inspiring and we can’t wait to unveil the next chapters,” Eshel said. “The Platform Era begins now.”

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