BRCD,
PRESS RELEASE: Brocade Storage Infrastructure Chosen for Microsoft Technology Centers
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tue Jun 15 08:22:10 2004 EST SAN JOSE, Calif., June 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade(R)) (Nasdaq: BRCD), the world's leading provider of storage infrastructure solutions, today announced that Microsoft Corporation (Nasdaq: MSFT) has selected Brocade's Storage Area Network (SAN) products for use in the four Microsoft Technology Centers (MTCs) across the U.S. Microsoft Technology Center customers will be able to leverage Brocade's infrastructure to develop, test and validate the deployment of SAN enabled, Windows(R) .Net solutions at the MTCs in Austin, Boston, Chicago and Silicon Valley.
"Our customers look to the regional MTCs for access to expert knowledge and preferred practices for development and deployment of Microsoft solutions," said Adam Hecktman, Director of the Microsoft Technology Center in Chicago. "By partnering with Brocade for the SAN infrastructure of the MTCs, we are offering our customers the best possible performance and flexibility in each sites' storage network. Our customers will know that development projects will be proven on the world's most widely-deployed SAN technology."
SAN technologies are becoming a critical part of corporate IT infrastructures, with increasing usage in a number of applications ranging from application clustering and business continuance, to infrastructure consolidation and data retention compliance. As an alliance member for the Microsoft Technology Centers, Brocade is working with Microsoft to ensure customers that their Windows based applications work seamlessly in a networked storage environment.
The MTCs will be equipped with Brocade's new SilkWorm 3850 Fibre Channel switch, which will extend and enhance the existing SAN infrastructure currently installed in the MTCs by Brocade's OEM partners. The partnership will also encompass the provision of training and pre-sales support to customers and staff of the MTCs.
"Deployment of Brocade Fibre Channel switches in the Microsoft Technology Centers builds on a long history of cooperation directed at extending the value of shared storage environments in organizations of all sizes," said Tom Buiocchi, vice president of worldwide marketing and support at Brocade. "We are looking forward to continued work with Microsoft to support the growing adoption of SANs in both the enterprise as well as small to medium businesses." |