SanDisk
Encyclopedia
SanDisk Corporation is an American multinational corporation
that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory
technology experts. SanDisk became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ
in November 1995. As of September 2011, its market capitalization is US$9.95 billion. SanDisk produces many different types of flash memory, including various memory cards and a series of USB
removable drives. SanDisk markets to both the high-end and low-end sector
demand for flash memory, and markets to other equipment makers as well as direct to consumers.
The company is headquartered in Milpitas, California
, with offices or manufacturing facilities in 10 locations in Asia (including Taiwan, China and Japan), 6 locations in Europe (including the UK, Ireland and Spain), and 3 locations in Israel (Kfar Sava, Tefen and Omer).
SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
- electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a precursor to flash memory. Harari worked on flash memory
at Intel, leaving to found a start-up which failed. In 1988, Harari launched the company that would become SanDisk with former Intel colleague Sanjay Mehrotra and former Hughes Electronics colleague Jack Yuan.
Early on, SanDisk had recognized that digital camera
s would need digital storage, and computers could become ever more mobile and light and would require a similar storage technology. In 1988 Harari offered the flash memory card technology to Kodak for inclusion in their cameras. Kodak offered to fund the development with the condition that SanDisk offer a three year exclusive contract for the 'digital film'. Harari and SanDisk rejected the offer, preferring to have competition in the marketplace.
show in Berlin
, German
authorities seized all MP3 players that were in SanDisk's booth since Italian
patent
company Sisvel had won an injunction
against it regarding the MP3 format. Sisvel, who had previously filed a separate lawsuit
in Mannheim
, claims that SanDisk uses the MP3
format without paying the required licensing fee. On September 8, 2006, a Berlin court overturned the injunction and SanDisk put the players back on display.
On March 16, 2007 SanDisk issued a press release announcing they had reached agreement and now acquired licences for all current and future MP3 applications.
FlashCP
is a digital rights management
technology for the storage of electronic materials (e.g. e-book
s) on portable devices. FlashCP is targeted primarily at students and allows transportation of copyrighted material while enforcing copy restrictions against the user. SanDisk acquired the technology in 2005 with the purchase of Israel
-based MDRM. As an avid proponent of DRM, this is one of many such technologies developed by SanDisk, the other ones being Gruvi
pre-loaded memory cards and the underlying TrustedFlash technology. SanDisk media players have near universal support for Windows Media
DRM and rely almost exclusively on variants of the copy-protection capable Secure Digital
format for removable storage.
Currently, SanDisk manufactures one drive that uses the FlashCP technology, called the Freedom Drive, which is part of the Cruzer line. Additionally, digital content can be downloaded to Cruzer Freedom from the SanDisk Plaza, a growing online store offering digital books, music, games, and education tools. Prices for on line products vary. Many selections are free. Once downloaded, the digital content may be used online and offline.
In addition, the company has a division named SanDisk Enterprise which develops and manufactures a secure USB drive. SanDisk Enterprise was created to provide a solution for enterprises and government agencies to allow mobilization of the corporate computing environment with password protected USB flash drives. The company attempts to address the organization's risk management needs.
Data recovery software
Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems
Inc.; McAfee
Inc.; RSA, The Security Division of EMC; and VeriSign
, Inc.
Other companies are among the founding partners of SESTA, including:
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
that designs, develops and manufactures data storage solutions in a range of form factors using the flash memory, controller and firmware technologies. It was founded in 1988 by Dr. Eli Harari and Sanjay Mehrotra, non-volatile memory
Non-volatile memory
Non-volatile memory, nonvolatile memory, NVM or non-volatile storage, in the most basic sense, is computer memory that can retain the stored information even when not powered. Examples of non-volatile memory include read-only memory, flash memory, ferroelectric RAM, most types of magnetic computer...
technology experts. SanDisk became a publicly traded company on NASDAQ
NASDAQ
The NASDAQ Stock Market, also known as the NASDAQ, is an American stock exchange. "NASDAQ" originally stood for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations". It is the second-largest stock exchange by market capitalization in the world, after the New York Stock Exchange. As of...
in November 1995. As of September 2011, its market capitalization is US$9.95 billion. SanDisk produces many different types of flash memory, including various memory cards and a series of USB
Universal Serial Bus
USB is an industry standard developed in the mid-1990s that defines the cables, connectors and protocols used in a bus for connection, communication and power supply between computers and electronic devices....
removable drives. SanDisk markets to both the high-end and low-end sector
Low-end market
In the USA, as well as in most developed countries, the low-end market consists of lower-priced products suitable for customers who are not willing or able to spend large amounts of money...
demand for flash memory, and markets to other equipment makers as well as direct to consumers.
The company is headquartered in Milpitas, California
Milpitas, California
Milpitas is a city in Santa Clara County, California. It is a suburb of the major city of San Jose, California. It is located with San Jose to its south and Fremont to its north, at the eastern end of State Route 237 and generally between Interstates 680 and 880 which run roughly north/south...
, with offices or manufacturing facilities in 10 locations in Asia (including Taiwan, China and Japan), 6 locations in Europe (including the UK, Ireland and Spain), and 3 locations in Israel (Kfar Sava, Tefen and Omer).
SanDisk's product portfolio includes flash memory cards for mobile phones, digital cameras and camcorders; digital audio/video players; USB flash drives for consumers and the enterprise; embedded memory for mobile devices; and solid state drives for computers. SanDisk is a Silicon Valley-based S&P 500 company, with more than half its sales outside the United States.
History
Dr. Eli Harari, an Israeli engineer, began making early contributions to EEPROMEEPROM
EEPROM stands for Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory and is a type of non-volatile memory used in computers and other electronic devices to store small amounts of data that must be saved when power is removed, e.g., calibration...
- electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, a precursor to flash memory. Harari worked on flash memory
Flash memory
Flash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
at Intel, leaving to found a start-up which failed. In 1988, Harari launched the company that would become SanDisk with former Intel colleague Sanjay Mehrotra and former Hughes Electronics colleague Jack Yuan.
Early on, SanDisk had recognized that digital camera
Digital camera
A digital camera is a camera that takes video or still photographs, or both, digitally by recording images via an electronic image sensor. It is the main device used in the field of digital photography...
s would need digital storage, and computers could become ever more mobile and light and would require a similar storage technology. In 1988 Harari offered the flash memory card technology to Kodak for inclusion in their cameras. Kodak offered to fund the development with the condition that SanDisk offer a three year exclusive contract for the 'digital film'. Harari and SanDisk rejected the offer, preferring to have competition in the marketplace.
Acquisitions
- SanDisk bought M-SystemsM-SystemsM-Systems Ltd., was a Nasdaq-listed Israeli producer of Flash memory storage products founded in 1989 by Dov Moran and based in Kfar Sava, Israel. They were best known for developing and patenting the first flash drive, marketed in 1995 as DiskOnChip, and the first USB flash drive, marketed in...
, a USB flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
stick maker for US$1.3 billion in 2006. - SanDisk bough Pliant, a SSDSSD-Computing:* Solid-state drive, a type of data storage device which uses memory rather than rotating media* Seven-segment display, a display which uses 7 segments to display mostly numbers* System sequence diagram, a type of UML software engineering diagram...
maker for US$327 million in 2011.
MP3 license dispute
On September 4, 2006 at the IFAInternationale Funkausstellung Berlin
The IFA or Internationale Funkausstellung Berlin is one of the oldest industrial exhibitions in Germany. Between 1924 and 1939 it was an annual event, but as from 1950 it was organized on a two yearly basis until 2005. Since then it has become an annual event again, held in September...
show in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
authorities seized all MP3 players that were in SanDisk's booth since Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
company Sisvel had won an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against it regarding the MP3 format. Sisvel, who had previously filed a separate lawsuit
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
in Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, claims that SanDisk uses the MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
format without paying the required licensing fee. On September 8, 2006, a Berlin court overturned the injunction and SanDisk put the players back on display.
On March 16, 2007 SanDisk issued a press release announcing they had reached agreement and now acquired licences for all current and future MP3 applications.
Products
FlashCPFlashCP
FlashCP
FlashCP is a copyright enforcement technology for the storage of electronic materials . Originally developed under the trademark "BootLocker", SanDisk acquired the technology in 2005 with the purchase of Israeli-based MDRM....
is a digital rights management
Digital rights management
Digital rights management is a class of access control technologies that are used by hardware manufacturers, publishers, copyright holders and individuals with the intent to limit the use of digital content and devices after sale. DRM is any technology that inhibits uses of digital content that...
technology for the storage of electronic materials (e.g. e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s) on portable devices. FlashCP is targeted primarily at students and allows transportation of copyrighted material while enforcing copy restrictions against the user. SanDisk acquired the technology in 2005 with the purchase of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
-based MDRM. As an avid proponent of DRM, this is one of many such technologies developed by SanDisk, the other ones being Gruvi
Gruvi
Gruvi was a short-lived memory card format compatible with microSD developed by Sandisk in 2006. The cards were intended for the distribution of music and videos, and had a variety of special Digital rights management features including the ability to pre-load content that could be 'unlocked' at a...
pre-loaded memory cards and the underlying TrustedFlash technology. SanDisk media players have near universal support for Windows Media
Windows Media
Windows Media is a multimedia framework for media creation and distribution for Microsoft Windows. It consists of a software development kit with several application programming interfaces and a number of prebuilt technologies, and is the replacement of NetShow technologies.The Windows Media SDK...
DRM and rely almost exclusively on variants of the copy-protection capable Secure Digital
Secure Digital
Secure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
format for removable storage.
Currently, SanDisk manufactures one drive that uses the FlashCP technology, called the Freedom Drive, which is part of the Cruzer line. Additionally, digital content can be downloaded to Cruzer Freedom from the SanDisk Plaza, a growing online store offering digital books, music, games, and education tools. Prices for on line products vary. Many selections are free. Once downloaded, the digital content may be used online and offline.
In addition, the company has a division named SanDisk Enterprise which develops and manufactures a secure USB drive. SanDisk Enterprise was created to provide a solution for enterprises and government agencies to allow mobilization of the corporate computing environment with password protected USB flash drives. The company attempts to address the organization's risk management needs.
Memory Cards
- CompactFlashCompactFlashCompactFlash is a mass storage device format used in portable electronic devices. Most CompactFlash devices contain flash memory in a standardized enclosure. The format was first specified and produced by SanDisk in 1994...
(1994) - MultiMediaCardMultiMediaCardThe MultiMediaCard is a flash memory memory card standard. Unveiled in 1997 by Siemens AG and SanDisk, it is based on Toshiba's NAND-based flash memory, and is therefore much smaller than earlier systems based on Intel NOR-based memory such as CompactFlash. MMC is about the size of a postage...
(1997) - RS-MMC (2004)
- xD-Picture CardXD-Picture CardxD-Picture Card is a flash memory card format, used mainly in older digital cameras. xD stands for Extreme Digital.xD cards are available in capacities of 16 MiB up to 2 GiB.- History :...
- Secure DigitalSecure DigitalSecure Digital is a non-volatile memory card format developed by the SD Card Association for use in portable devices. The SD technology is used by more than 400 brands across dozens of product categories and more than 8,000 models, and is considered the de-facto industry standard.Secure Digital...
(2001), miniSD (2003), microSD (2005) - GruviGruviGruvi was a short-lived memory card format compatible with microSD developed by Sandisk in 2006. The cards were intended for the distribution of music and videos, and had a variety of special Digital rights management features including the ability to pre-load content that could be 'unlocked' at a...
DRM memory cards (2006 - discontinued) - Memory StickMemory StickMemory Stick is a removable flash memory card format, launched by Sony in October 1998, and is also used in general to describe the whole family of Memory Sticks...
, Memory Stick PRO (2003), Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo, Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo, Memory Stick Micro (M2)
USB Flash Drives
- Cruzer Slice
- Cruzer Mini
- Cruzer Micro
- Cruzer Micro Skin
- Cruzer Titanium
- Cruzer Titanium Plus
- Ultra Titanium
- Ultra Titanium Plus
- Cruzer Contour
- Extreme Contour
- Ultra Backup
- Cruzer EnterpriseCruzer EnterpriseDeveloped by SanDisk, the Cruzer Enterprise is an encrypted USB flash drive. This secure USB drive imposes a mandatory access control on all files, storing them in a hardware-encrypted, password-protected partition...
(2000), Cruzer Enterprise FIPS Edition - Cruzer Professional
- Cruzer Profile
- Freedom Drive
- Cruzer Tag
- Cruzer Snap
- Cruzer Fluer
- Cruzer Slide
- Cruzer Gator
- Cruzer Pattern
- Extreme Cruzer Ducati
- Cruzer Crossfire
- Cruzer Freedom
- Cruzer Blade
- Cruzer Edge
- Ultra USB Flash Drive
Others
- USB memory card readers
- USB Smart Drives for Console and PCPersonal computerA personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
video gaming - Solid-state driveSolid-state driveA solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive...
s (SSD)- iSSD
Audio and Video Players
- Sansa FuzeSansa FuzeThe Sansa Fuze is a portable media player developed by SanDisk, and released on March 8, 2008. The Fuze is available in three different Flash memory capacities: 2 GB, 4 GB, and 8 GB. It comes in five different colors, black, silver, red, pink, and blue. Storage is expandable via a...
- Sansa Connect
- Sansa Shaker
- Sansa Express
- Sansa c200Sansa c200 SeriesThe Sansa c200 series is a line of portable media players developed by Sandisk. The line consists of two models: the c240, 1 GB, the c250, 2 GB. Both models feature a micro SD card slot, a 1.4 inch LCD display, a built-in microphone, and an FM radio...
- Sansa e100
- Sansa e200Sansa e200 seriesThe Sansa e200 series is a portable media player developed by SanDisk, and released on January 5, 2006. The device is available in four capacities of Flash memory: 2 GB , 4 GB , 6 GB , and 8 GB . All players have a 1.8-inch, TFT LCD display with a resolution of 176 by 220 pixels...
- Sansa TakeTV
- Sansa Clip, Clip+, Clip Zip
- Sansa View
- slotRadioSlotRadioslotRadio is a music format delivered on a memory card . Preloaded on microSD cards, slotRadio gives consumers access to a large library of music but unlike individual MP3s that are purchased, the playlist is predetermined and the user has only the ability to skip songs forward much like how radio...
Player - slotMusic Player
Data recovery software
- SanDisk RescuePRO
- SanDisk RescuePRO Deluxe
Partnerships
On September 24, 2007 the SanDisk Corporation announced the SanDisk Enterprise Solutions Technology Alliance (SESTA). This alliance allows partners to evaluate compatibility and interoperability of their products with SanDisk’s secure portable hardware and supporting software, as well as join with SanDisk to raise awareness of best practices in endpoint and portable data security. SESTA is backed by a roster of founding partners including Check PointCheck Point
Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is a global provider of IT security solutions. Best known for its firewall and VPN products, Check Point first pioneered the industry with FireWall-1 and its patented stateful inspection technology...
Software Technologies Ltd.; Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems
Citrix Systems, Inc. is a multinational corporation founded in 1989, that provides server and desktop virtualization, networking, software-as-a-service , and cloud computing technologies, including Xen open source products....
Inc.; McAfee
McAfee
McAfee, Inc. is a computer security company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, USA. It markets software and services to home users, businesses and the public sector. On August 19, 2010, electronics company Intel agreed to purchase McAfee for $7.68 billion...
Inc.; RSA, The Security Division of EMC; and VeriSign
VeriSign
Verisign, Inc. is an American company based in Dulles, Virginia that operates a diverse array of network infrastructure, including two of the Internet's thirteen root nameservers, the authoritative registry for the .com, .net, and .name generic top-level domains and the .cc and .tv country-code...
, Inc.
Other companies are among the founding partners of SESTA, including:
- Applied Identity, Inc.
- Centennial Software Limited
- Check Point
- ControlGuard
- CoSoSys
- Diversinet Corp.
- Dmailer
- LC Technology International, Inc.
- Lumension Security (formerly SecureWave)
- MokaFiveMokaFiveMokaFive, headquartered in Redwood City, California, provides a desktop-as-a-service platform for managing desktop computers. MokaFive was founded in July 2005 as a spinoff of the Collective Project in Stanford University's Computer Science Department...
- Promisec Ltd.
- RedCannon Security Inc.
- Safend
- Secuware
- SmartLine Inc.
- Sweet Spot Solutions Inc.
- Tablus, Inc.
- Vericept Corporation
See also
- FlashCPFlashCPFlashCP is a copyright enforcement technology for the storage of electronic materials . Originally developed under the trademark "BootLocker", SanDisk acquired the technology in 2005 with the purchase of Israeli-based MDRM....
- Flash memoryFlash memoryFlash memory is a non-volatile computer storage chip that can be electrically erased and reprogrammed. It was developed from EEPROM and must be erased in fairly large blocks before these can be rewritten with new data...
- Secure USB Drive
- StartKeyStartKeyStartkey is a USB flash storage device developed by Microsoft and SanDisk.-History:StartKey began in May 2007 when Microsoft and Sandisk made an agreement to provide unspecified software to replace U3 that was included on SanDisk flash devices.-Features:...
- U3U3U3 was a joint venture between SanDisk and M-Systems , producing a proprietary method of launching Windows applications from special USB flash drives. Flash drives adhering to the U3 specification are termed "U3 smart drives"....
- Central Management and ControlCentral Management and ControlDeveloped by SanDisk Enterprise, Central Management and Control is enterprise data management software that enables information technology divisions to centrally manage Cruzer Enterprise secure USB drives in the corporate sector....
- USB driveUSB flash driveA flash drive is a data storage device that consists of flash memory with an integrated Universal Serial Bus interface. flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, and physically much smaller than a floppy disk. Most weigh less than 30 g...
- SansaSanDisk SansaThe SanDisk Sansa is a line of 2 to 16 gigabyte flash memory-based digital audio players and portable media players produced by SanDisk.- Sansa Fuze+:...
- slotRadioSlotRadioslotRadio is a music format delivered on a memory card . Preloaded on microSD cards, slotRadio gives consumers access to a large library of music but unlike individual MP3s that are purchased, the playlist is predetermined and the user has only the ability to skip songs forward much like how radio...