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HDS to Build SAN Switch?: Page 2 of 3

Mark Kelleher, analyst with First Albany Corp. is skeptical of the rumors. "The major OEMs, IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM) and EMC Corp. (NYSE: EMC), would not buy from a competitor...but then again, bad strategic decisions are made every day."

There is a glimmer of evidence to support CSFB’s speculation that HDS may be ready to jettison it's relationship with Brocade. When HDS recently requested permission from Brocade to submit the 2-Gbit/s switch it OEMs for independent testing, Brocade vetoed the request (see Brocade Balks at 2-Gbit/s Test -- Again and Brocade Ponders 2-Gbit/s Test).

“What’s up with that!” said a spokesperson for HDS.

Meanwhile, other vendors made moves that appeared to contribute to the market shakeup. McData issued a press release this afternoon stating that it is “intensifying its focus” on the low-end of the market by creating a “switch product group” to “strengthen the company's presence in this area.” (See McData Fights Back).

The timing of McData’s announcement just after the rumors hit the Street suggesting HDS’s move into this space are just a coincidence, says VP of the storage product group, Doug Rainbolt. “We are not in desperate mode, success has lead to this change,” he said.