Joe Mathis Virtual Instruments Fellow

Virtual Instruments, in virtual infrastructure optimization, announced that Joseph R Mathis, Sr., a 30-year veteran of IBM and original architect of the Fibre Channel standard, will join the company as the first Virtual Instruments Fellow.

Mathis, an IBM Master Inventor and an expert in Fibre Channel and I/O architecture, will help define Virtual Instruments’ storage networking and virtualization technology strategy, including Fibre Channel, Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCOE), FICON, and iSCSI. Additionally, he will work with Virtual Instruments’ Global 500 customers to assess and refine measurement criteria for large-scale virtual infrastructure deployments.

"As we grow and evolve, having a highly respected I/O technology expert collaborating with strategic partners and customers to help Virtual Instruments enhance the Company’s roadmap both from a product level and business level will be immensely beneficial to our success," said Mark Urdahl, chief executive officer, Virtual Instruments. "Joe is a natural fit for us. His experience with system design and industry recognition for his work with the Fibre Channel standard reflects upon his commitment to innovation and forward thinking. We are really excited about having him join our team to help address the challenges and opportunities presented when systems and applications become virtualized."

Virtual Instruments Fellows are recognized technology visionaries who bring unique technology expertise and customer perspective into the Company. Fellows are selected for sustained and distinguished technical achievements in engineering, programming, and technology. They work with Virtual Instruments strategic partners and engineering teams to influence future product development, in addition to being available to work with global 500 customers as they architect virtual infrastructure optimization solutions for I/O-intensive business-critical workloads.

"After a career of pushing myself and my colleagues to forge ahead with new I/O technologies, I was honored to be considered for the fellowship position," said Mathis. "Virtual Instruments is addressing some of the most critical challenges facing the enterprise IT community: how to improve efficiency and maximize performance, availability, and utilization of virtualized IT infrastructures. The Company has the foresight that inspires me, and I’m eager to help them grow and define this new role as a Fellow."

Mathis has been honored by IBM numerous times as Master Inventor, having eight U.S. patents issued in his name. Mathis founded Medusa Labs, the leading independent testing and training organization for Fibre Channel developers, serving as the President and CEO. Medusa Labs was acquired by Finisar in March 2001. With a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Lawrence Institute of Technology and a Master of Science degree in information science from Syracuse University, Mathis’ experience and expertise will be paramount in the evolution of Virtual Instruments.