EMC To Resell Brocade 10GbE and Converged Networking Solutions

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. and EMC Corporation announced an agreement for EMC to resell the Brocade IP networking portfolio of 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) switching products through the EMC Select program. This new agreement reflects the companies’ joint commitment to address key customer requirements with 10 GbE switching products as they consolidate and virtualize data centers on their journey to the private cloud.

This agreement further extends the two companies’ long-standing, strategic partnership founded upon providing innovative solutions from Brocade and EMC that successfully address customer requirements, as well as a shared vision to improve IT efficiency, simplicity and business flexibility (see related press release and website).

EMC will offer the comprehensive portfolio
of Brocade networking solutions including:

• Brocade FCX Series switches: High-performance, flexible and easy-to-manage 1 GbE top-of-rack switches that are purpose-built for today’s virtual data centers. Offered in 24- and 48-port models, the Brocade FCX Series enables horizontal stacking of switches, unifying network management for an entire row of servers. An optional 4-port 10 GbE module enables wire-speed performance across all ports.
• Brocade TurboIron 24X switch: A compact, high-performance, high-availability and low latency 10/1 GbE dual-speed solution that meets mission-critical data center top-of-rack, aggregation and High-Performance Cluster Computing (HPCC) requirements.
• Brocade NetIron MLX Series: Advanced routers that provide high-density 10 GbE and 1 GbE solutions and are built with capabilities for Data Center Bridging (DCB)/Converged Enhanced Ethernet (CEE). They offer exceptional wire-speed performance, scalability and a rich set of IPv4, IPv6, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS), Virtual Private LAN Services (VPLS) and multi-VRF capabilities – including hitless upgrades. As a result, these routers are ideal for a wide range of advanced applications in virtualized data centers.
• Brocade NetIron CES 2000 Series: 10 GbE-capable edge switches that feature wire-speed performance and deep packet buffers for media-rich applications. The NetIron CES Series includes advanced services such as VPLS to support geographically distributed Ethernet LANs in a compact form factor.
• Brocade ServerIron ADX Application Delivery Controllers: A complete family of application delivery controllers with industry-leading performance that use application intelligence to enable on-demand, elastic data center computing.

In addition, Brocade Support services will be available to EMC customers using Brocade IP and converged networking solutions through Brocade Supplemental Support (BSS).

"Virtualization and cloud computing are driving high-performance Ethernet adoption and convergence in the data center. This new agreement not only signifies the evolution of our long-term, productive partnership with EMC to meet this demand, but it allows our joint customers to reap the benefits of our combined experience and expertise in Ethernet, storage and converged networking technologies," said Ken Cheng, Vice President of infrastructure products division at Brocade. "This joint expertise will help enable our customers to streamline their migration toward high-performance virtualization, data center convergence and cloud infrastructures, while simplifying their operations, reducing costs and increasing business agility."

"Customers look to EMC for a complete set of technologies, solutions and services that increase levels of efficiency and optimize their data center environments," said Barbara Robidoux, Vice President, Storage Product Marketing, EMC Corporation. "The addition of Brocade’s leading 10 GbE switching products within our set of offerings further meets this customer imperative as we continue to provide a solid foundation for their journey to the private cloud."

Availability
Brocade Ethernet switches and routers will be available through the EMC Select program in Q3 2010.