EMC is reaching out for help in the areas of de-duplication and enterprise file serving, according to industry reports.
In a note to clients yesterday, analyst Thomas Curlin of RBC Capital Markets wrote that his sources expect EMC to shortly announce an OEM partnership with Quantum.
"We suspect this is a move by EMC to compete more effectively versus Data Domain," Curlin wrote.
Rumors of an EMC/Quantum deal have been circling for weeks. A Quantum SEC filing in January notes the following: "On January 25, 2008, Quantum entered into an agreement with a major OEM, under which the OEM will license Quantum's DXi-Series data de-duplication and replication enterprise software to deliver its own solution. Under the terms of the agreement, Quantum cannot provide further details at this time."
At least one industry source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, thinks EMC will add Quantum's de-duplication technology to the EMC Disk Library (EDL), formerly known as the Clariion Disk Library, or CDL. There has also been speculation that EMC will rebrand Quantum's DXi7500 as a new VTL.