NetApp and Fujitsu to integrate products
Living together, not marriage
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NetApp and Fujitsu are partnering to integrate some of their products, enable faster data centre server system deployment, and develop a joint go-to-market strategy.
Fujitsu is a general IT supplier with products ranging from mainframes, through servers, storage and networking to PCs and notebooks. It includes Fujitsu Technology Solutions - the old Fujitsu Siemens Computers - which is the storage technology centre for Fujitsu worldwide.
NetApp and Fujitsu are getting closer together with several initiatives. A most important one is enabling Fujitsu's resource management framework, a data centre server system orchestration offering, to integrate NetApp's storage management into its capabilities. They say: "The framework dynamically orchestrates servers, networks, storage and software into logical system platforms to run applications on demand. It also enables easier administration of data center environments, allows single console management of the entire infrastructure, and increases productivity and operational efficiency through ease of use."
If we replace the term "logical system platform" with HP's cells, we can see that the idea is to provide a metadata layer for an entire application IT stack and provision, operate, manage and de-provision it as a logical, or virtual - choose your own word - entity. This would probably operate in the same virtual data centre ball park as VMware, Cisco, and EMC's Vblock offerings.
Allied to this, NetApp and Fujitsu are ensuring NetApp's storage virtualising V-Series head controller is integrated with Fujitsu's Eternus storage arrays. They say an initial deployment of a fully-integrated Eternus DX400 with a V-Series head has already been made into a public sector customer as part of an outsourcing contract.
NetApp and Fujitsu will develop and offer a joint portfolio of services including consulting, professional services, managed storage services, and maintenance services. They mention the idea of a team of NetApp and Fujitsu certified storage professionals and global service delivery capabilities. However there is no mention of an integrated services agency.
The companies will also develop a joint go-to-market strategy. The sum total of their closer partnership is that: "the companies intend to jointly develop integrated products and services specifically in the areas of virtualisation, storage and data management, and storage services and solutions."
Kai Flore, the president and CEO of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, said: “We introduced our Dynamic Infrastructures portfolio a year ago as the cornerstone of Fujitsu’s global IT portfolio. NetApp’s strengths in unified storage align perfectly with our... Eternus SAN (storage area network) and storage software, creating a joint comprehensive storage portfolio to meet customers’ every need.”
Fujitsu has high-speed backbone and Ethernet networking products in its portfolio and so we shouldn't necessarily expect a similar Fujitsu partnership with an external networking product supplier. ®
COMMENTS
Ten to two pull at the nightclub
This has all the makings of a ten to two pull at a nightclub - Fujitsu and NetApp are stumbling around an increasingly empty club, all the best options have already pulled, their eyes meet across a beer swilled dance floor and they both realise that that's their only option!
@esheririll
You have forgotten about Suns CMT chips (UltraSPARCT2/T2+) used in the T5xx0 servers and blades. More of those are made than the SPARC64 chips used in the Sun and Fujitsu high end servers.
Interesting times...
More interestingly, Fujitsu is the only active maker of SPARC chips nowadays... though Sun is emphasizing x86 more and more lately, could this be a backdoor play for NTAP to help handle any eventuality stemming from Sun/Oracle possibly winning (or at least failing to promptly settle) the ZFS/WAFL patent battle?
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