Brocade Announces HP Fabric Switches

LAS VEGAS -- Brocade(R) (Nasdaq: BRCD), the leader in data center networking solutions that help enterprises connect and manage their information, today announced the availability of three new Brocade 8 gigabits-per-second (Gb/s) fabric switches for the HP StorageWorks B-Series SAN Connection portfolio. Augmenting the industry-leading performance of the Brocade DCX Backbone and 48000 Director, the new family of switches offers the highest levels of performance in the industry and further reduces the amount of energy requirements in the data center.

The new Brocade switches are designed to optimize data centers that plan to implement virtualized servers for consolidation efficiencies by increasing server and storage utilization. With configurations that range from eight to 80 ports, the new fabric switches offer unmatched scalability, delivering full line-rate performance on every port and simplified management for today's virtual environment. In addition, the new products further advance Brocade's energy-efficient capabilities by consuming 40 percent less power per port than previous models.

Brocade also announced the general availability in July of a custom 8 Gb/s embedded SAN switch module for the HP StorageWorks 4400 Enterprise Virtual Array (EVA4400). The EVA4400 supports two embedded switch modules per enclosure, for a total of 20 high-performance FC ports, to offer customers a virtualized, easy-to-support storage area network (SAN) storage solution. The EVA4400 with embedded switches is designed for midsize customers implementing their first SAN.

"Integrating the newest Brocade fabric switches into the HP StorageWorks SAN portfolio enables HP customers to further consolidate servers, storage and the networking infrastructure, simplifying data center connectivity and reducing costs," said Ian Whiting, Vice President and General Manager of the Brocade Data Center Infrastructure Division. "Companies will gain greater performance, scalability and cost savings from their existing data center networking investments, while providing extendable and efficient infrastructure for the data center fabrics of the future."

Brocade Communications Systems Inc.