Out Fox The $treet

Recent IPOs in the enterprise flash-storage segment have had very different trading outcomes. The more recent IPO of Nimble Storage ( NYSE: NMBL     )  performed much better than expected, while Violin Memory ( NYSE: VMEM     ) pretty much tanked a few months prior. The companies offer different paths to solve the growing complexity of data-storage requirements of enterprises and data centers. The traditional disk-storage systems aren't adequate enough to meet the storage and performance requirements of the modern data world. The data-storage industry is estimated by IDC and Gartner to reach approximately $63.8 billion for both storage systems and software by 2017. Nimble estimates that the addressable market for its services will reach more than $35 billion by 2017, based on IDC estimates. Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Small-Cap Insight Plenty of opportunity exists for Fusion-io ( FIO ) to be a major winner, but the company must improve execution. The potential to replace hard disk drives (HDDs) with flash-storage is enormous, but the company continues to spend too much on attracting new customers to generate much in the way of profits. Fusion-io aims to deliver the world's data faster via platform and defined storage solutions that accelerate virtualization, databases, cloud computing, big data and performance applications. It has long been primarily focused on Apple and Facebook as customers, but it has spent the last year transitioning to more enterprise and other hyperscale customers for diversification. Has the company finally reached the next growth phase that will push the stock higher? Read the full article at Seeking Alpha. Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

The recent IPO of flash-storage provider Violin Memory ( NYSE: VMEM     ) failed to impress the market due to several persistent issues including an auditors going concern doubt. The IPO process can be very volatile and investors need to look no further than the Facebook IPO to see how a disappointing market reaction can quickly turn around. The major problem with Violin Memory was the shocking level of losses. The company lost so much money over the last six months that it likely had to raise money. Another factor in the recent pricing weakness has been the horrible market trading of other flash-storage providers Fusion-io ( NYSE: FIO     ) and OCZ Technology ( NASDAQ: OCZ     ) . Does the recent weakness provide a buying opportunity for patient long-term investors? Read the full article here . Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details. 

Anybody that has invested in Fusion-io  (NYSE: FIO ) since the IPO back in 2011 probably has given up on catalysts for a rebound. The stock originally plunged as top customers Apple and Facebook supposedly reduced spending for the short-term, yet it has now led to the founders leaving the company, further questioning its growth potential. The leader of server-side flash storage has seen a lack of growth in the two more » Disclosure: No positions mentioned. Please review the disclaimer page for more details.