Compaq and IBM Alliance for Storage
R. Krause - August 3, 2000

Event Summary

[Source: IBM Press Release]In July, Compaq Computer Corporation and IBM announced a strategic agreement to accelerate customer acceptance of open storage networking solutions. Both companies are committed to interoperability of each company's storage hardware and software, and will also sell significant products from each other's storage portfolios. The total of investments currently planned by the companies could exceed $1 billion.Compaq and IBM will cooperate to help ensure their storage products work seamlessly together. Further, the companies will share their knowledge with the industry to help create standards for open storage networking solutions such as Storage Area Networks (SANs), making storage networks more flexible and easier to deploy and manage. 'With the explosion of e-business and consumer demand for anytime-anywhere products and services, storage plays an increasingly vital role in our customers' Internet infrastructure,' said Howard Elias, vice president and general manager of Compaq's Storage Global Business Unit. 'This agreement assures both companies' customers a complete portfolio of critical storage technologies that will work seamlessly with future Compaq and IBM products.' Both companies commit to driving interoperability with their respective software and hardware. Under terms of the deal, Compaq will augment its portfolio with IBM's 'Shark' Enterprise Storage Servers and select Tivoli systems management software. IBM will augment its portfolio with Compaq StorageWorksÖ Modular Array storage systems and software, which will include IBM 10,000 RPM hard disk drives. IBM will support Compaq's VersaStorÖ technology for storage SAN-wide virtualization. Each company plans to provide equipment, software, and staffing to support each other's open storage networking/SAN customer centers. At these centers, customers can see for themselves the interoperability of both companies' technologies and products where real-world testing demonstrates the value of open storage networking solutions. Market Impact..