Leading Global Web Hosting Provider Uses Brocade Directors, Switches, and
Software to Support Growth, Simplify Management, Improve Power Efficiency,
and Reduce Costs
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 16 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Brocade(R) (Nasdaq:
BRCD) today announced that Rackspace Managed Hosting, a leading global
provider of Web hosting services, is using scalable, high-performance
Brocade Storage Area Network (SAN) solutions to support its Managed Backup
and Storage Division's next generation of growth. The San Antonio,
Texas-based company is also leveraging Brocade Fabric Manager software to
streamline management of its storage and backup SANs, enabling it to reduce
operational costs and offer customers more reliable access to their data.
"As one of the fastest-growing managed hosting providers
internationally, our success depends on harnessing technologies that help
us sustain our customer service levels," said Chad Smykay, Storage
Engineer, Rackspace Managed Hosting. "Brocade provided us with the
expandable, easy-to-manage SAN solutions we need to manage our services
more efficiently and cost-effectively as we grow."
A Formula for Continued Growth and Success
To fulfill its mission of providing easily manageable, customized
solutions tailored to the business needs of its customers, Rackspace has
continually added new services, including the Managed Backup and Storage
Division, launched in 2001. Initially, the division deployed dual SAN
fabrics, one to support storage services and the other to support backup
tape libraries. The division proved to be an instant success, with
thousands of Rackspace customers subscribing to the new services.
With demand for its storage offerings surging, the company decided to
add new Brocade SAN solutions to support the division's increasing capacity
and port requirements. Beginning in 2003 and continuing into early 2006,
Rackspace began implementing a wide range of Brocade SAN solutions,
including Brocade 4900 Switches, Brocade 4100 Switches, and Brocade 48000
Directors. A Brocade Professional Services engineer validated the
installations.
"Choosing Brocade to increase our SAN capacity was an easy decision,"
said Smykay. "Their systems have performed reliably for us and most
importantly have enabled us to easily provision new customers and to help
us maintain the industry-leading service for which we are known."
The Brocade 48000 Directors serve as the building blocks for the
Managed Storage and Backup Division's centralized, high-capacity SAN
fabric. The directors scale non-disruptively from 32 to as many as 384
concurrently active 4 Gbit/sec full-duplex ports, and integrate easily with
the company's heterogeneous Linux and Microsoft Windows server environment.
The Brocade 4900 Switches provide reliable 4 Gbit/sec performance and
feature "pay-as-you-grow" scalability from 32 to 64 ports through flexible
Ports on Demand capabilities. The Brocade 4100 Switches also provide
industry-leading 4 Gbit/sec performance and scale up to 32 ports using the
same Ports on Demand capability as the Brocade 4900.
Rackspace also benefits from lower power costs. "The power consumption
of Brocade directors and switches has always been excellent, and it always
seems to be improving," Smykay said. "When we moved to the new Brocade
48000s, power consumption dropped by more than 50 percent, which is a huge
benefit. When you have thousands of storage and backup clients, even a
dollar a day savings per device can quickly add up."
Concurrent to deploying the new directors and switches, Rackspace
implemented Brocade Fabric Manager to optimize administration of its
storage and backup SANs. Brocade Fabric Manager is a comprehensive software
solution for central-site provisioning, monitoring, and administration of
large numbers of switches and multiple Brocade SAN fabrics. The solution
enables Rackspace to reduce the time and costs of managing its SAN fabrics.
"When you have 60-plus switches and directors, it's a challenge to perform
operations like troubleshooting and firmware upgrades manually," Smykay
said. "Fabric Manager lets us make global changes and updates from a
central location faster, enabling us to respond more rapidly to customers'
issues and increase our productivity."
With its Brocade products, the Rackspace Managed Backup and Storage
Division now has the foundation it needs for steady expansion. "We believe
that the Brocade SAN solution provides the fundamental building block for a
large and growing business," Smykay concluded. "It allows us to add devices
and servers incrementally, which should in turn allow us to stay ahead of
the growth curve and sustain our success."
About Rackspace Managed Hosting
A recognized leader in the global managed hosting market, Rackspace
Managed Hosting delivers enterprise-level managed services to businesses of
all sizes. Serving more than 10,000 customers in seven data centers
worldwide, Rackspace integrates the industry's best technologies for each
customer need and delivers them as a service via the company's
award-winning Fanatical Support(TM). Through trusted relationships,
Rackspace serves as an extension of its customers' IT departments, enabling
them to focus on their core business. Since its inception in 1998,
Rackspace has grown more than 50 percent a year. For more information,
please visit http://www.rackspace.com, or call 800-961-2888.
About Brocade
Brocade is the leading provider of networked storage solutions that
help organizations connect, share, and manage their information.
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 http://www.brocade.com or contact
the company at info@brocade.com.
Brocade, the Brocade B-weave logo, Fabric OS, File Lifecycle Manager,
MyView, Secure Fabric OS, SilkWorm, and StorageX are registered trademarks
and the Brocade B-wing symbol and Tapestry are trademarks of Brocade
Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other
countries. FICON is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation in the U.S.
and other countries. All other brands, products, or service names are or
may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products
or services of their respective owners.
SOURCE Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.brocade.com
CONTACT:
media, Kathryn Craig, +1-832-230-2249, or
kcraig@brocade.com, or investors, Shirley Stacy, +1-408-333-5752,
or sstacy@brocade.com; or Ian Yellin of Ogilvy PR,
+1-415-677-2714, or ian.yellin@ogilvypr.com
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