Hewlett Packard Enterprise Scoops Up Plexxi

Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced today that it will acquire Plexxi, an early player in the software-defined networking market. HPE executives said they plan to integrate Plexxi's software-defined data fabric networking technology into its hyperconverged infrastructure product line and its Synergy composable infrastructure portfolio.

Founded in 2010, Plexxi had shifted away from the SDN label to calling itself the "hyperconverged network for the software-defined data center." The Nashua, N.H.-based company has deals to supply its networking technology to hyperconverged infrastructure vendors, including HPE, Dell EMC, and Nutanix.

In a blog post, Ric Lewis, SVP and GM of HPE's software-defined and cloud group, said Plexxi's technology will extend HPE's software-defined compute and storage capabilities into the SDN market.

"By seamlessly combining Plexxi's next-generation data center fabric with HPE's existing software-defined infrastructure, HPE can deliver a true cloud-like experience in the data center," he wrote.

Plexxi's technology will enable HPE to build on its acquisition last year of hyperconverged infrastructure provider SimpliVity, Lewis said, allowing it to provide "the industry's only hyperconverged offering that incorporates compute, storage, and data fabric networking into a single solution, with a single management interface and support."

Experts have said networking is often a missing piece from hyperconverged infrastructure solutions, so the Plexxi deal could give HPE an edge in that space.

Lewis said Plexxi's technology will also extend the reach of HPE Synergy composable infrastructure product line in the private cloud market. With Plexxi, HPE plans to release a composable rack product that will broaden the data center use cases for Synergy, he said.

HPE is leading the charge on composable infrastructure, which Lewis described as a new category of infrastructure that provides fluid pools of storage and compute resources that customers can adjust as needed.

HPE did not disclose the terms of its Plexxi acquisition, which it expects to close July 31.