EMC Sucker-Punched by IBM

4:25 PM -- When the PR agency for IBM sent out details about IBM's planned Softek purchase this morning, it tacked on a note describing the significance. (Clearly, Big Blue thinks we members of the press must be fed the proper spin.)

A key point was the following: "IBM['s] acquisition of Softek will also give it a powerful weapon as it takes on EMC in the storage wars... allowing them to trump EMC with a weapon it doesn't have - Softek's patented Transparent Data Migration Facility (TDMF) solution."

Well, EMC does have something from Softek -- Logical Data Migration Facility (LDMF), a mainframe-based tool for moving data volumes into Symmetrix arrays, or between Symmetrix and other storage subsystems. Announced in November 2005, LDMF is exclusively owned and co-developed with Softek by EMC. It's also on EMC's coveted Select list of recommended products.

For the present, anyway. Feathers in Hopkinton are likely to be ruffled. Here's what an EMC spokesman writes when asked for a response to today's open smack: "EMC will continue to compete aggressively with other vendors in this space with a robust portfolio of data migration solutions... EMC retains the right to develop and market LDMF."

Could it be that the PR agent overstepped, leaving IBM unjustly accused of taking a cheap shot at its rival? That's doubtful, given the level of control all big vendors exercise over their media folk. That said, we have contacted the agency to ask. At press time, there was no answer, but we'll keep you posted.Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch