Fujitsu and NetApp Deepen Their Partnership

Fujitsu and NetApp announced their intention to deepen their partnership globally and provide more tightly integrated and automated storage and data management solutions.

Leveraging each other’s expertise, the companies intend to jointly develop integrated products and services specifically in the areas of virtualization, storage and data management, and storage services and solutions. This expanded relationship will enable customers to derive greater value and efficiencies from their dynamic infrastructures.

“Standardization, virtualization and efficiency are driving customers to rapidly change the way their data centers are designed and managed,” said Roger Cox, Research Vice President at Gartner, Inc. “Increasingly, they are looking to best of breed vendors to supply the infrastructure and services for their data centers.”

Fujitsu and NetApp already have a proven track record of providing customers with best in class products and solutions and a shared vision of the data center of the future. This announcement serves to underline the synergies customers can expect from both in extended product development, integration and a joint go-to-market relationship.

“As IT departments look for ways to be more cost and operationally efficient, customer buying patterns are shifting toward vendors with a more holistic and collaborative approach to addressing their data center needs,” said Tom Georgens, president and CEO of NetApp. “We believe this expanded relationship with Fujitsu will provide customers with more tightly integrated and automated data management solutions from an industry leading partnership.”

“We introduced our Dynamic Infrastructures portfolio a year ago as the cornerstone of Fujitsu’s global IT portfolio,” said Kai Flore, President & CEO at Fujitsu Technology Solutions. “NetApp’s strengths in unified storage align perfectly with our high-quality, high-performance and highly reliable ETERNUS SAN and storage software, creating a joint comprehensive storage portfolio to meet customers’ every need.”

Increased productivity and operational efficiency
The companies are currently working to integrate NetApp’s storage management software into Fujitsu’s comprehensive resource management framework. The framework dynamically orchestrates servers, networks, storage and software into logical system platforms to run applications on demand. It also enables easier administration of data center environments, allows single console management of the entire infrastructure, and increases productivity and operational efficiency through ease of use.

Integrating superior technology
By combining best of breed products and solutions from both companies, customers can reduce their capital expenditures, leverage their current operational experience and benefit from the integrated offerings of two leading IT vendors. The companies also announced their intention to implement a global, joint go-to-market strategy involving complementary products.

The companies also announced the full integration of NetApp V-series with Fujitsu ETERNUS. This joint solution is expected to provide customers with management and efficiency benefits and increased functionality that cannot be derived from any other solution on the market today. It will enable customers to preserve their current investments with virtually no disruption to their operations. The first deployment of a full integration of Fujitsu’s high-performance ETERNUS DX400 with NetApp’s industry-leading V-Series products has already provided a public sector customer with measurable benefits as part of a full IT services outsourcing contract.

Advanced services
Giving customers and partners from both companies access to a broad range of best in class storage experts and professional services consultants from NetApp as well as Fujitsu is a vital element of the enhanced global partnership. The companies also disclosed today, that they intend to develop and offer a joint portfolio of advanced services including consulting, professional services, managed storage services and maintenance services. To deliver this service portfolio the companies will leverage from a team of NetApp and Fujitsu certified storage professionals and global service delivery capabilities for Dynamic Infrastructures.