EMC Introduces VSPEX Proven Infrastructure

HOPKINTON, Mass., April 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

News Summary:

• EMC® VSPEX™ Proven Infrastructure accelerates the journey to cloud computing, delivering simple, efficient and flexible reference architectures based on best of breed components.
• VSPEX is the industry's most flexible reference architecture designed in conjunction with Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft Corp., and VMware.
• VSPEX is available exclusively through partners in the EMC Velocity^™ partner program.
• VSPEX Partners can fully leverage the EMC brand and industrial design in their VSPEX offerings.
• VSPEX Labs provides partners with a cloud infrastructure to test, validate and demonstrate new VSPEX configurations.

Full Story:

EMC (NYSE: EMC) today announced EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure – a simple, efficient, and flexible reference architecture comprised of EMC's award-winning storage systems and next-generation backup products, along with best-of-breed virtualization, server, and network technology from EMC alliance partners Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft, and VMware.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120412/NE86406)

The fourteen initial VSPEX configurations represent the most popular use cases for customers moving to cloud computing. These use cases are focused on enabling customers to accelerate deployment of private cloud and end user computing environments. For private cloud deployments customers have the option of running VMware vSphere 5.0 or Microsoft Windows Hyper-V  from 50-250 virtual machines and for end-user computing deployments customers can choose between VMware View and Citrix XenDesktop® from 50 to 2000 virtual desktops. Full details are available on emc.com. Additional VSPEX configurations will be made available based on partner demand. 

VSPEX Proven Infrastructure is now available to partners in the EMC Velocity^™ partner program. For the first time partners can fully leverage the EMC brand and industrial design in delivering VSPEX solutions to their customers.  In addition EMC is providing VSPEX labs for partners to test, validate and demonstrate new VSPEX solutions.

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To attend the live webcast of the 1:00 p.m. ET launch event being held today in San Francisco, CA hosted by EMC and partner executives click here.

EMC VSPEX Customer Benefits

• VSPEX Is Simple – VSPEX Proven Infrastructures deliver predictable performance that significantly reduces the planning, sizing and configuration burdens of adopting private cloud or end-user computing environments. In addition, EMC's validation of the VSPEX configuration greatly reduces deployment time.  Finally, tight alignment with Windows Server Hyper-V and VMware vSphere cloud infrastructure provide customers a single point of management using System Center for Microsoft cloud and VMware vCenter™ Operations Management Suite for private cloud deployments.
• VSPEX Is Efficient – Built on EMC's award-winning VNX™ and VNXe™ unified storage systems and Avamar® and Data Domain® next-generation backup products, VSPEX provides customers with unmatched levels of efficiency.  Leveraging technologies such as data deduplication, compression and Fully Automated Storage Tiering (FAST), customers can expect to significantly lower operational costs. By integrating these technologies tightly with the hypervisor and end-user computing environments, customers can also benefit from simpler administration and lower management costs.
• VSPEX Is Flexible – VSPEX allows customers to combine their choice of industry-leading server, network, and virtualization technologies into a proven infrastructure validated by EMC and built on a highly flexible EMC storage and backup infrastructure. Additionally, the customer's channel partner of choice – who understands the specific customer's requirements – can customize VSPEX to meet their needs. 

EMC VSPEX Channel Partner Benefits

• Increased Market Opportunity – With VSPEX, channel partners can now sell complete, highly-flexible solutions to their customers, resulting in a higher attach rate of components, and a bigger sale. VSPEX allows partners the option to mix and match server and network components based on customers' specific infrastructure and application requirements to improve profitability while optimizing the value delivered to the customer.
• Faster Time to Market – VSPEX offers channel partners complete configuration and sizing guidelines for the most common workloads that can reduce the requirements collection phase of the sales cycle. VSPEX adds significant value to the partner's sales process by reducing integration and validation costs while still getting all the benefits of delivering complete solutions.  EMC is enabling its channel partners with training and technical and sales collateral to help the partner quickly bring VSPEX to market. The broad awareness, integration into EMC campaigns and demand generation tools helps partners to generate leads for their VSPEX solutions.
• Partner Branded and Customizable Solution – VSPEX allows partners to brand their VSPEX solution and increase their mindshare in the customer's environment.
• VSPEX Labs – Partners can leverage EMC's investment in the new VSPEX Labs to test additional infrastructures in collaboration with EMC and other VSPEX partners.

Channel Partner Quotes

Peter Koliopoulos, Vice President, North America Marketing for Arrow Enterprise Computing Solutions, a Business Unit of Arrow Electronics

"Arrow ECS believes that VSPEX offers our solution provider community a great opportunity to deliver additional value to their customers. As demand for converged infrastructure increases, VSPEX enables solution providers to deliver a modular solution that can be integrated into an existing IT infrastructure."

Scott Look, Vice President and General Manager of the Technology Infrastructure Solutions Group at Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas

"EMC VSPEX will enable Avnet to provide our partners with complete solutions that accelerate the deployment of virtualization and cloud offerings for small-to-medium businesses as well as the mid-enterprise market and OEMs.  VSPEX is enhanced by Avnet's broad portfolio of complementary supplier solutions that when combined with our extensive services offerings give channel partners a flexible deployment option that can be implemented quickly with higher efficiency and lower risk."

Scott Zahl, Vice President and General Manager, Ingram Micro Advanced Computing Division, U.S.

"EMC's new VSPEX solutions broadens the playing field for our mutual Velocity partners – bringing more choice, flexibility, and selling opportunities to the IT channel. As a full ONE EMC distribution partner offering solutions from  EMC, Iomega, Isilon, VMware and RSA, Ingram Micro brings to market a proven, robust and integrated set of EMC solutions that are supported by a dedicated division and business unit focused on partner enablement, execution and mutual success."

Chuck Bartlett, Vice President and General Manager, Advanced Infrastructure Solutions (AIS) at Tech Data

"Expanding our partnership with EMC with the addition of VSPEX Proven Infrastructure to our AIS offering enables our resellers to accelerate private cloud deployment. VSPEX represents faster deployment, more simplicity, greater choice, higher efficiency, and lower risk for our channel partners. Our dedicated EMC team in AIS is available to assist our resellers in selecting the correct technology to leverage their existing IT infrastructure and eliminate configuration burdens."

Technology Partner Quotes

John McHugh, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Brocade

"The new VSPEX solutions represent an excellent option for customers looking to introduce greater levels of productivity and IT efficiency by transitioning to the cloud. Brocade's cloud-optimized networking technologies provide an ideal foundation for the delivery of highly-scalable, best-in-class VSPEX Proven Infrastructure that enable customers to benefit from the power of virtualization and cloud without introducing IT complexity and vendor lock-in."

Wendy Bahr, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Partner Organization, Cisco

"Cisco is focused on helping our customers accelerate their transition to the cloud with integrated solutions, like EMC's VSPEX Proven Infrastructures.  EMC's VSPEX with Cisco UCS and Nexus Switches provide  customers with a rapid path for deploying cloud applications and increased flexibility to scale their infrastructures as their business needs grow and to maximize their return on investment."

Cynthia Gallant, Vice President, Channel Strategy and Development at Citrix

"Small and mid-sized businesses desire to take full advantage of the business benefits that desktop virtualization provides. With the new VSPEX Proven Infrastructure, EMC provides modular solutions that deliver greater simplicity and lower risk for these companies. At the same time, we see these pre-validated infrastructure stacks as highly beneficial to our channel partners, enabling them to rapidly deploy virtual desktops for their customers. VSPEX Proven Infrastructure, combined with the industry-leading XenDesktop®, can accelerate the deployment of private clouds for customers. This allows organizations to enable mobile workstyles with anywhere, anytime access to desktops, applications and data, significantly increasing the security of mobile users on multiple device types, and greatly reducing ongoing desktop management requirements."

Boyd Davis, VP and General Manager of Datacenter Infrastructure Group, Intel Corporation

"Combining the energy efficient performance of the Intel® Xeon® processor with EMC storage technologies enables users to rapidly deploy robust, tested solutions to meet their changing businesses. With the arrival of EMC's new VSPEX Infrastructure, Intel and EMC continue to deliver scalable solutions that meet our customers' needs and amplify the benefits of our long standing technology partnership that advances cloud computing."

Mike Schutz, General Manager, Product Marketing, Windows Server and Virtualization, Microsoft

"VSPEX aligns with Microsoft's commitment to enabling cloud computing with infrastructure architectures and guidance that build on proven and cost-effective Microsoft technology, including Windows Server, Windows Server Hyper-V, and System Center.  Microsoft customers can take advantage of their existing IT infrastructure and knowledge as they move into the private, public, and hybrid cloud. Partners can benefit from the combination of Microsoft and EMC products to expand their businesses and accelerate their customers' adoption of cloud computing technologies."

Scott Aronson, Senior Vice President, Global Channels and Alliances, VMware

"EMC VSPEX Proven Infrastructure provides reliable and efficient data center solutions for a wide range of businesses as they accelerate their journey to the cloud. Using VMware cloud infrastructure on EMC VSPEX enables organizations to become more efficient and flexible as their evolving business needs require, and provides an opportunity for our mutual channel partners to expand their roles as trusted technology advisers."

EMC Executive Quotes:

Gregg Ambulos, Senior Vice President of Global Channel Sales, EMC Corporation
"With VSPEX we're giving our channel partners the tools to address the fast growing market in virtual infrastructure and private cloud computing.  VSPEX will accelerate customers journey to the cloud as it enables our partners to build value and differentiation. VSPEX has changed how solutions are delivered with partners."

Jeremy Burton, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, EMC Corporation
"EMC is uniquely delivering a complete spectrum of choice for organizations on the journey to cloud computing.  VSPEX provides a balance of simplicity and flexibility, while maximizing efficiency. We are excited to be building VSPEX with industry leaders like Brocade, Cisco, Citrix, Intel, Microsoft and VMware and delivering it to our customers exclusively through our Velocity channel partners."

About EMC

EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing.  Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset — information — in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.

Additional Resources

• Learn more about VSPEX
• Learn more about partnering with EMC
• Learn more about
• Join the #EMCChannel and #VSPEX conversations on Twitter.
• Connect with EMC via Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn and ECN
• Read the VMware SMB Blog for more on solutions for small and mid-size businesses
• Follow the VMware SMB team on Twitter, Facebook or Spiceworks

EMC, Avamar, Data Domain, Velocity, VNX, VNXe, and VSPEX are either registered trademarks or trademarks of EMC Corporation in the United States and other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. 

This release contains "forward-looking statements" as defined under the Federal Securities Laws. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ii) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (iii) the relative and varying rates of product price and component cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (iv) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (v) component and product quality and availability; (vi) fluctuations in VMware, Inc.'s operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware stock; (vii) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and rapid technological and market change; (viii) risks associated with managing the growth of our business, including risks associated with acquisitions and investments and the challenges and costs of integration, restructuring and achieving anticipated synergies; (ix) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (x) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xi) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centers or networks; (xiii) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xiv) war or acts of terrorism; and (xv) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EMC disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

SOURCE EMC Corporation