IBM to Resell Brocade

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Brocade (Nasdaq: BRCD - News), a leader in data center networking solutions that help enterprises connect and manage their information, today announced that IBM (NYSE: IBM - News) has added the Brocade StorageX® file virtualization and management software solution to its portfolio under the name IBM System Storage N series Virtual File Manager® (VFM®). Through the original OEM agreement that Brocade and IBM have had since 1999, this latest offering provides IBM and Brocade customers with a comprehensive and cost-effective solution for solving some of today's most pressing file data management challenges in distributed heterogeneous environments, including business continuity, consolidation, migration, and remote office data management.

"As another top-tier partner brings Brocade FAN solutions to market, we are provided with further validation that the file management market is growing at a rapid pace," said Tom Buiocchi, Brocade Vice President of Worldwide Marketing. "IBM only brings products to market that have potential and a business case that is appealing to customers. Brocade is pleased to align with IBM to address growing customer demand for file management solutions in the data center."

"The rapid growth of unstructured data, along with growing concerns about data retention and security, are posing new challenges for administrators in enterprise data centers. Managing dispersed file storage environments is driving up storage equipment expenditures and management costs," said Richard Villars, Vice President of Storage Systems at IDC. "Solutions from leading storage infrastructure vendors such as IBM and Brocade that make it easier to consolidate and manage file-based information across the enterprise will play an increasingly important role in companies' storage and information management plans."

Brocade Communications Systems Inc.