![[IMAGE] Walker Blount](/en/images/bio/walker_blount.jpg)
VP Storage Research
Web-Feet Research, Inc.
Walker Blount is responsible for the Storage Systems Service, which includes analysis of flash storage systems (SSDs, EFD, and Flash cards), small form factor hard disk drives, and alternative storage technologies such as micro mechanical probe storage. One of the reports authored is the Solid State Drive Markets and Applications study that has been published by WFR since 2002.
Mr. Blount comes to Web-Feet Research after an extensive career at IBM. Hired as a design engineer in test engineering, he held a number of key engineering positions within IBM, including several years in key management positions. These included project management of manufacturing and test processes; managing 20 employees to support the manufacturing and testing of IBM's storage subsystems. Support included establishing new processes, managing manufacturing and test costs through process improvements and selecting component and sub- assembly vendors.
From 1993 - 2004, Mr. Blount was the principal HDD industry analyst within IBM and later with Hitachi Global Storage Technologies. In this position he identified market opportunities and company strategies for hard disk drives including consumer electronics markets with the (1") Microdrive at its introduction.
Mr. Blount has published a number of internal reports and analytical assessments on the HDD industry and industry product offerings within Hitachi including several external whitepapers; "Fluid Dynamic Bearing Motors in Hard Disk Drives", "Voice Coil Motor Dampening" and "Why 7200 RPM Mobile Drives."
Mr. Blount earned his B.S degree in Electrical Engineering from California State University at Los Angeles, and his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Santa Clara University.