By Justin Lee, theWHIR.com
September 11, 2008 — (WEB HOST INDUSTRY REVIEW) — Data center products provider Rackable Systems (rackable.com) announced on Thursday it has signed a partnership with data storage solutions provider NetApp (netapp.com) to offer customers server and storage solutions for enterprise environments (rackable.com/netapp).
Rackable Systems is joining NetApp’s Embedded Systems Vendor Program and will integrate NetApp storage into Rackable Systems’ built-to-order eco-Logical data center server and infrastructure offerings.
Rackable announced last month it intends to sell off its RapidScale line of storage solutions, a business line that includes patents, hardware assets, a development team and ongoing business relationships.
The company is presumably preparing to replace its own line of storage solutions by offering NetApp’s storage solutions.
Rackable Systems says its energy-efficient, high-performance servers, bundled with NetApp’s storage solutions, will be offered to customers in various industries, including the enterprise, oil and gas, financial services and government sectors.
NetApp’s portfolio of storage solutions, including the FAS series, will address the needs of customers seeking high storage utilization and thin provisioning.
The new NetApp offerings will also be available in Rackable Systems’ customizable ICE Cube modular data center, which can be previewed in a video here.
“Today’s data center customers continually seek next generation server and storage technologies that incorporate the benefits of high availability, energy efficiency and increased resource utilization,” says Brad Nisbet, program manager at IDC Storage Systems. “With server virtualization at the core of many data center strategies, the partnership with NetApp enables Rackable Systems to provide powerful IT solutions that encompass both server and storage elements, leveraging NetApp’s advancements in data management, multi-protocol connectivity and storage virtualization technologies.”
As a member of the NetApp Embedded Systems Vendor Program, Rackable Systems will participate in joint marketing activities, receive technical support and coordinate sales activities with NetApp’s global sales team.
Rackable Systems will also join the NetApp Partner Program, which includes access to a range of planning, development and marketing opportunities that accelerate business results.
The company will immediately begin offering its data center solutions, including NetApp’s FAS series, on a worldwide basis through its direct sales and channel partners.
Rackable Systems will demonstrate its Eco-Logical data center at VMworld 2008, which takes place on September 15 to 18 at the Venetian Hotel, Las Vegas.
