Maranti Lands Brocade VP

Brocade Communications Systems Inc.s (Nasdaq: BRCD) VP of North American sales has jumped to Maranti Networks Inc., moving from the Fibre Channel switch market leader to a startup that has yet to make an impact on the market.

Greig Patton says his decision to join Maranti as VP of sales has nothing to do with the restructuring at Brocade, which the company says will result in a 9 percent workforce reduction -- but scuttlebutt has it that many more jobs will be affected.

“I’m moving to what I think is a great opportunity, rather than running away,” Patton protests. “I enjoy the early ramp and growth opportunity that Maranti offers.”

Brocade laid off 110 workers on May 19 when it announced quarterly earnings (see Brocade Hits Estimates, Lays Off 110). CEO Greg Reyes said there would be no other cuts, but people close to the company say the cuts have gone far deeper than Reyes admits, though they may not be characterized as layoffs. Some have put the number at 20 percent or more (see Brocade Denies More Cuts).

Patton says his job would not have been affected by the Brocade cuts. Still, at least two sources familiar with Brocade question why Patton would leave Brocade for a company that claims to have revenue from its intelligent switches but won't name customers.