Late last month, cloud storage solutions provider Cirtas Systems was named to Red Herring's (News - Alert) 2010 Global 100 list, which celebrates the top one hundred most promising private companies in the world.

Organizations that are selected by the media company as a top global performer are those that have helped revolutionize their distinctive industry for the better through various technological advances.

Red Herring has a long history of recognizing innovative companies in a number of fields. The media outlet was one of the first companies to discover thriving technology outfits like YouTube, Google, Skype (News - Alert) Netscape and Salesforce.com, among others.

Red Herring originally named Cirtas Systems as a North America top 100 company in June of last year before advancing the thriving cloud storage provider to the finals later in 2010. To be named a top 100 private company, Cirtas had to beat out 1,200 other finalists from around the globe. The company was recognized for its recent technological innovations, financial performance, quality of management and execution of strategy.

“Choosing the best out of the previous three years was by no means a small feat,” Alex Vieux, chairman of Red Herring, noted in a statement. “After rigorous contemplation and discussion, we narrowed down our list from 1,200 potential companies to 200 finalists. Trying to get it down to 100 companies was a task upon itself. Cirtas should be extremely proud of its achievement, the competition was difficult.”

Gary Messiana, CEO of Cirtas Systems, said that the award validates the company's Bluejet Cloud Storage Controller and the hybrid cloud storage industry as a whole.

In related news, Cirtas Systems recently announced that it has raised another $22.5 million in Series B funding. This second round of financing was led by led by Shasta Ventures and Bessemer Venture Partners, and was supported by several of the cloud storage company's initial investors, including NEA, Lightspeed Venture Partners and Amazon.

Cirtas said it will use the new influx of cash to continue to support the ever-expanding market for its Bluejet Cloud Storage Controller technology. As part of the deal, Ravi Mohan, co-founder of Shasta Ventures, will join the company’s board of directors. To date, Cirtas Systems has raised nearly $33 million in funding.

Beecher Tuttle is a TMCnet contributor. He has extensive experience writing and editing for print publications and online news websites. He has specialized in a variety of industries, including health care technology, politics and education. To read more of his articles, please visit his columnist page.

Edited by Patrick Barnard