About
Company History
Cambridge Computer was founded in 1991 by Jacob Farmer and Deena Berton, who met in a pottery class shortly after graduating school. Deena received her MBA and undergrad degree from Cornell. Jacob had recently graduated from Yale, where he and his roommate had launched a computer sales company from their dorm room. More than ⅓ of a century later and with over 100 employees in our companies, we are riding the wave of high performance computing and the AI/ML revolution.
A Storage Integrator Before There Was a Storage Industry
We began our business as specialists in enterprise backup and archiving. This seemed like a good niche at the time. Backups were the bane of the data center – an afterthought with a lot of subtle complexity. We developed expertise in all of the leading products and had partnerships with all of the major vendors.
Before we knew it we were sending consultants and trainers all over the world to optimize the largest of enterprise backup systems, and we were leading the discussions in major tech communities to define best practices and standards for enterprise backup.
The Storage Industry Emerges and Cambridge Plays a Unique Role
As the storage industry blossomed, Cambridge was one of the few independent integrators with a pedigree in storage. As such we became the darlings of the startups that led the explosion of the data storage industry. We developed close relationships with serial entrepreneurs, academics who were doing algorithmic work, VCs who were funding new technology, etc. We found ourselves in the epicenter of innovation. Our role was to enable startup vendors to find their first customers. And, on the flip side, we were enabling end users with unique challenges to find optimal solutions.
Technology Evolves and So Do We
The emergence of the SAN paved the way for server virtualization. The NAS paved the way for scale-out NAS and HPC file systems. We found our business dividing between enterprise infrastructure and the infrastructure needed for scientific research,chip design, fintech, seismic analysis, animation rendering, etc. We continue to support enterprise customers with world-class service, but currently the excitement is in the “high value workloads” of HPC and AI/ML.
Women-Owned Business
Management Team
Deena Berton
Chief Executive Officer
Deena has been at the helm of Cambridge Computer since the company’s launch back in 1991. She possesses the perfect balance of management skills and technical aptitude to guide us through our next round of growth.
Deena takes an active role in managing strategic corporate relationships and large professional services engagements. She received undergraduate degrees in mathematics and economics from Cornell University and earned her MBA from Cornell’s Johnson School of Management.
Jacob Farmer
Chief Technology Officer
Jacob Farmer is the Chief Technology Officer of Cambridge Computer, a position he has held since co-founding the company in 1991. Jacob has been a familiar face in the data storage industry for over 35 years. He has written for a number of trade publications and has been a featured speaker at many conferences and educational events, most notably USENIX, LOPSA, and SNIA.
In the data storage industry, Jacob is best known for authoring best practices on enterprise data protection and for helping numerous early-stage companies define their target use cases and establish their first customers. In academic circles, he is highly regarded for his work in defining best practices to manage the life cycle of scientific research data and for identifying novel solutions to reduce costs and streamline operations related to digital preservation. Jacob is a graduate of Yale University.
Stephen Odio
Chief Operating Officer
Steve Odio has been the Chief Operating Officer of Cambridge Computer since he joined the company. He oversees operations, accounting, human resources, and professional services.
Before settling into the data storage industry, Steve made polymers at Dow Chemical in Michigan and orange and pineapple juice in Costa Rica. He received his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering from Cornell University, a master’s in chemical engineering from MIT, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.