James N. Porter
| James N. Porter | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 3, 1931 Sacramento, California |
| 💀Died | March 2, 2012 (aged 80) Monterey, California, U.S.March 2, 2012 (aged 80) |
| 🎓 Alma mater | San Jose State University |
| 💼 Occupation | Storage Technology Analyst |
| 👔 Employer | Crown Zellerbach, Memorex |
| Known for | founder DISK/TREND |
James N. "Jim" Porter (October 3, 1931 – March 2, 2012) was an American technology market analyst and consultant, widely known as the "dean of storage industry analysts".[1] He founded DISK/TREND, Inc. a market research firm that became a standard reference for data storage market analysis,[2] and was influential in the development and documentation of the hard disk drive industry.[3][4]
Early life and education
Porter was born in Sacramento, California, on October 3, 1931.[2]. His father was a California highway patrol officer[5]. He graduated from Sequoia High School (Redwood City, California). As an adolescent during the war years he scrounged discarded parts to build radio receivers, sparking his interest in technology[6]. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from San Jose State University.[2]
Career
In the mid-1950s, while working in marketing for Crown Zellerbach, Porter received one of the first IBM RAMAC 305 systems. He often brought customers to see the IBM 305 RAMAC, the first disk drive, demonstrating his early recognition of the commercial potential of disk storage technology and then his continuing interest in this early history.[2][7][8]
In 1968, he joined Memorex, a pioneering storage company, where he held several marketing management positions.[9] He later worked with Cartridge Television Inc. and with CMX Systems, a joint Memorex–CBS company that developed an early disk-based video editing system that earned an Emmy Award.[2] In 1974, Porter began working as a management consultant.
In June 1977 Porter published his first market study, Rigid Disk Drives, from Mountain View, California, under his own name.[10][11] These early reports were copyrighted personally to Porter and carried his home office contact information. In the following years he formalized the enterprise as DISK/TREND, Inc. to provide market research and reports for the worldwide disk drive and data storage industries. Porter cultivated strong relationships with industry firms, who trusted him to confidentially aggregate their sales and production data. DISK/TREND Reports were published annually and in the early 1980s, the name DISK/TREND was a registered trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.[2][9] Over the course of 22 years, DISK/TREND produced a total of 67 annual market reports across five product areas: rigid disk drives (1977–1999, 23 volumes), flexible disk drives (1977–1994, 18 volumes), optical disk drives (1986–1999, 14 volumes), removable disk drives (1994–1998, 5 volumes), and disk arrays (1993–1999, 7 volumes).[11] Copies of these reports are preserved in the Computer History Museum’s James N. Porter papers collection.[11]
Industry leadership and legacy
Porter was instrumental in creating professional infrastructure for the storage industry. He was:[2]
- A founder and chairman of the International Disk Drive Equipment and Materials Association (IDEMA).
- A co-founder of major trade conferences, including DISKCON and DataStorage.
- A founder of the Computer History Museum’s Storage Special Interest Group.
- A frequent participant at IEEE Magnetics Society conferences.
In 1999, Porter retired and closed DISK/TREND after 22 years in operation.[2] After his retirement, the role of industry market tracker was assumed by other firms, most prominently TrendFocus, founded by analyst Mark Geenen, which has been described as inheriting Porter’s role in the storage market.[9]
Porter’s extensive collection of papers, reports, presentations, and industry data—over 100 cartons {Can we find a more impressive measure – linear feet, banker boxes, etc}—was donated to the Computer History Museum, where it forms a major archival source for the history of storage technology.[11]
Personal life and Death
Porter had a son, David Porter, who died in 2000, and two daughters, Anne Cirner and Katie Porter.[5] He was known for maintaining close ties with his family throughout his career. Porter died after suffering a stroke on March 2, 2012, while attending a jazz festival in Monterey, California — one of his favorite things to do. [5][1][9][12]
See also
- IBM 305 RAMAC
- Hard disk drives
- Data storage
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Coughlin, Tom (March 6, 2012). "A Silent Voice: James Porter, Dean of Storage Analysts Dies". Forbes. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 "Jim Porter and the History of the Global Storage Industry". Computer History Museum. June 21, 2016. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ↑ J. Maleval, "Top 6 to 10 Most Prestigious Names in History of Storage Industry: Mr. Disk Drive", StorageNewsletter, December 28, 2016
- ↑ J. Porter et al, "How Computer Storage Became a Modern Business", Computer History Museum, Mountainview, California, March 9, 2005
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 James Porter obituary, Dignity Memorial, Monterey
- ↑ Bill Roberts, "A time, a place, a mystique", Electronic Design News, October 15, 2000
- ↑ "RAMAC Oral History Project" (interviewer: Jim Porter), Computer History Museum, Mountainview, California, 2001-2002
- ↑ S. Levy, "The Hard Disk That Changed the World", Newsweek, Aug 06, 2006
- ↑ James N. Porter. Disk/Trend Report - Rigid Disk Drives. Mountain View, California: self-published, June 1977. Copyright © 1977 by James N. Porter. First DISK/TREND market report.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 "Guide to the James N. Porter papers". Online Archive of California. Retrieved September 15, 2025.
- ↑ "The Passing of an HDD Industry Luminary: Jim Porter", IDEMA Website, Posted on March 6, 2012
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