Brocade Presents Data Center Fabric Architecture at Gartner Data Center


Brocade Data Center Fabric (DCF) architecture enables greater efficiency and cost savings with minimal disruption and risk

SAN JOSE, Calif., Nov. 27 -- Today at the 26th Annual Gartner Data Center Conference in Las Vegas, Brocade®(Nasdaq: BRCD), a leading provider of data center networking solutions that help enterprises connect and manage their information, presented details on how the new Brocade Data Center Fabric (DCF) architecture responds to the urgent needs of customers to make their data centers more efficient, reliable, and adaptable.

Brocade Vice President of Engineering Zahid Hussain described how the Brocade DCF architecture adapts to the dynamics of virtualized servers and storage while accommodating expanding application workloads and the relentless growth of corporate data -- without forcing disruptive changes. In addition, the Brocade DCF architecture simplifies data center connectivity and reduces costs by combining storage networking and server-to-server clustering into a single, converged data center infrastructure.

"Today's data center managers are challenged to meet increased demands for computing resources, speed, and flexibility, even as budgets and headcount remain under pressure. The Brocade DCF architecture addresses these challenges," said Hussain. "With the Brocade DCF, we are enabling customers to non-disruptively reduce costs and increase speed, flexibility, and efficiency, while managing growing volumes of data and leveraging their existing IT and operational resources."

The new Brocade DCF architecture provides several tangible and significant advantages compared to alternative approaches, including:

o The Brocade DCF is a policy-based, application-driven architecture. It adapts and responds to the changing needs for managing applications and data. It also helps ensure that important data center services -- such as data security, encryption, backup, and replication -- are automatically available based on defined policies, and that they do not encumber the infrastructure when not in use.

o The Brocade DCF simplifies and optimizes important new technologies such as server virtualization. The vast majority of virtual servers connect to networked storage, and Brocade is using its deep storage networking experience to optimize and automate these connections, helping customers to simplify their environments and operations.

o The Brocade DCF provides customers with investment protection. It enables customers to leverage their existing IT resources -- including servers, storage, and SANs -- seamlessly incorporating them into the evolving data center fabric. As a result, the Brocade DCF maximizes cost savings while minimizing disruption and risk.

o The Brocade DCF provides customers with unparalleled choices. Brocade is working with industry-leading storage, server, and systems partners to ensure maximum compatibility and choice for customers within the Brocade DCF architecture. Customers can enjoy best-in-class solutions for servers, storage, protocols, virtualization techniques, and management tools.

At the heart of the Brocade DCF architecture will be a new category of data center infrastructure, called the Brocade DCX(TM) Backbone. This innovative platform is designed to meet growing requirements for large-scale server virtualization, wider resource-intensive service delivery, adaptive networking, and multiple high-performance network protocols -- including Fibre Channel, FCoE, DCE, and iSCSI. Moreover, it is designed to support seamless interoperability across servers, storage, and networking protocols. Brocade plans to make the Brocade DCX available in the first half of fiscal 2008. For more information on the Brocade DCF architecture, visit www.brocade.com/dcf.

About Brocade

Brocade is a leading provider of data center networking solutions that help organizations connect, share, and manage their information in the most efficient manner. Organizations that use Brocade products and services are better able to optimize their IT infrastructures and ensure compliant data management. For more information, visit the Brocade Web site at www.brocade.com or contact the company at info@brocade.com.

SOURCE Brocade - 11/27/2007

CONTACT:

media relations
Jil Backstrom of Brocade
+1-720-558-4774
jil.backstrom@brocade.com

or

Ian Yellin
+1-415-677-2714
ian.yellin@ogilvypr.com
both of Ogilvy PR, for Brocade

Web site: www.brocade.com

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