NetApp to Support Brocade 8GB Fibre Channel Offering

30-09-2008

Sunnyvale, Calif. - NetApp (NASDAQ: NTAP) announced that it will resell and support the new family of advanced 8Gbit/sec SAN switching solutions from Brocade. The new switching solutions, plus the currently available 8Gb Brocade DCX Backbone and 48000 director blades, enable NetApp to provide customers with networking technologies that help them expand and enhance their data centers. The 8Gb switches strengthen NetApp's portfolio of FC SAN infrastructure solutions and better equip customers to meet the increased network demands placed on their IT infrastructures as a result of server virtualization.

New Switches Address Server Virtualization Demands on Storage Networks

The new family of Brocade switches:

• Deliver unmatched 8Gbit/sec performance that double the throughput of all previous switches on the market
• Address the growing customer demand for higher performance and scalable infrastructure solutions
• Save up to 40% in power consumption compared to previous switches, providing NetApp customers increased data center power efficiencies and a smaller environmental footprint
• Provide enhanced server-to-storage traffic consolidation for easier data center management
• Protect investments in NetApp infrastructure with backward compatibility to the installed base of Brocade 1, 2, and 4Gbit/sec SAN devices
  

"NetApp and Brocade are working together to provide our customers with solutions that will augment their virtualized data center environments," said Marty Lans, senior director of Data Center Marketing at Brocade. "By adding the Brocade new family of 8Gbit/sec switches to the NetApp® SAN switching portfolio, we are providing virtualization customers with better end-to-end performance, manageability, and security from the server to storage."

"As server virtualization becomes a more crucial element in data center infrastructures, it's imperative that all layers of this infrastructure be optimized for maximum performance," said Joel Reich, vice president and general manager of the SANiSAN Business Unit at NetApp. "By partnering with companies such as Brocade, we are able to provide our customers with the necessary technologies to optimize their data centers and leverage the advanced capabilities of 8Gbit/sec FC."

Availability
The Brocade new family of advanced switching solutions, which includes the Brocade 300, Brocade 5100, and Brocade 5300, is available immediately from NetApp and NetApp channel partners.

About NetApp
NetApp creates innovative storage and data management solutions that accelerate business breakthroughs and achieve outstanding cost efficiency. Discover our passion for helping companies around the world go further, faster at www.netapp.com.