In-Depth
IBM to Resell Cisco Storage Switches
Big Blue expects to be first to resell Cisco’s MDS 9000-series multi-protocol storage switches
IBM Corp. announced it has entered into an agreement with networking giant Cisco Systems Inc. to resell that company’s new line of multi-protocol storage switches.
The non-exclusive accord marks Cisco’s first such agreement with any vendor to resell its MDS storage networking products.
Under the terms of the agreement, Big Blue and its business partners will resell Cisco’s MDS 9000-series products, starting with the MDS 9509 Director and MDS 9216 Multilayer Fabric Switch, along with their associated modules. Cisco’s MDS 9000-series products are high-performance SAN switches that are said to support storage networks of different sizes and architectures.
IBM will also test Cisco’s MDS 9000-series products for interoperability with its existing tape- and disk-based products. Big Blue says that it will complete interoperability qualification of the Cisco products by the end of this quarter.
IBM currently resells storage switches from a variety of partners, including Brocade Communications Systems Inc. and Inrange Technologies Corp., among others. Big Blue says that it expects to resell the Cisco switches in much the same way that it resells storage networking devices from its partners.
In a prepared statement, Roland Hagan, vice president of marketing for the storage products division of IBM’s systems group, suggested that Big Blue’s reseller agreement with Cisco could enable both companies to reach customers in new industries. “This agreement will enable us to expand to a new customer set including telecommunication customers and customers interested in converging fibre channel and IP storage area networks."
IBM didn't disclose pricing or availability of the new switches.
About the Author
Stephen Swoyer is a Nashville, TN-based freelance journalist who writes about technology.