Coraid appliance owners across the globe breathed a sigh of relief this week with the release of coraid SR704 from startup SouthSuite, Inc.

After Coraid’s sudden foreclosure in 2015, 1700 organizations feared their hardware was destined for the scrapheap.

“People liked Coraid. I’ve heard from folks who’ve used their systems for years without rebooting,” said Brantley Coile, SouthSuite founder and former Coraid CTO. “The technology is solid but it badly needed software updates to correct product mismanagement in Coraid’s final years.”

The SR704 replaces Coraid software on existing storage boxes. It provides significant Improvements, such as advanced format 4K drive support, simplified command sets, and the option to expand Coraid systems using commodity hardware. SouthSuite purchased the intellectual property to EtherDrive SRX and VSX product lines after Coraid’s foreclosure fire sale.

“I was as surprised as everyone else to get my IP back,” Coile said. Coile explained that he doubted he would ever get the chance to continue development of ATA-over-Ethernet technology due to his decision to step down as Coraid CTO in 2013. Coile invented the ATA-over-Ethernet protocol in 2000. Referred to as AoE, it became the foundation for the then-new startup Coraid.

Coraid quickly established itself as an inexpensive alternative to Fibre Channel and a more efficient substitute for iSCSI. In their first four years of shipping storage products, the company sold $12M, mostly shipped out of an airport hanger in Athens, Ga.

In 2010 Coile successfully sought venture funding and opened new offices in Redwood City, Calif. He later left the company due to disagreements with new management.

“I’ve always thought of myself as a technology guy,” said Coile, “but after my experience in Silicon Valley I realized I need to be a business guy too. I’m building SouthSuite the right way, without venture funding. The core•aid SR704 is not only a big win for Coraid users, but for smart tech business.”

Coile and his team at SouthSuite have already begun working on updates for the core•aid SR line, such as support for NVMe and a wider variety of hardware platforms.