Mike James

SANDISK

Longmont’s tech companies are prominently storage-centric—most notably is Seagate Technologies. That’s until SanDisk opened up their facility in 2011, focusing on hi-tech, scaled-up, reliable computer data storage, aka enterprise storage. (It packs more kick than the memory card in your SLR camera.) The future of solid-state drives for businesses is being designed here. “We focus on the next generation of storage needs that might drive big data or financial institutions,” says SanDisk director of engineering Mike James. “Our storage will drive the cloud.”

Back in the 1990s, the company had started the consumer effort in compact flash, but didn’t become ubiquitous until a decade later. “Now cloud is emerging,” says James, “and we’re at the forefront innovating for it.” Let’s not forget Longmont’s large engineering talent pool—one of the company’s main compulsions for the satellite location. It’s not uncommon to see the tech innovators in the workplace wearing shorts and tennis shoes, or taking lunch breaks to play soccer. “Showers were a requirement when I moved to this office,” jokes James. “We needed it.”

The other attraction for SanDisk was the wealth of like-minded companies to acquire. In the past two-and-a-half years, that roster’s included SMART Storage, Pliant Technology, and storage software maker Schooner. Inevitably this will grant James’ focus on developing advanced products. “It’s about how do we get more capacity, faster performance, and getting it in a reliable package.”