Brocade Unveils Unified Network Architecture and Strategy

thumbnail Brocade Unveils Unified Network Architecture and Strategy

NEW YORK — Brocade used its annual Technology Day event to unveil a new network architecture and strategy intended to help customers simplify the complexity of virtualizing their applications. In addition to Brocade One, the company announced new solutions and technologies to optimize data center networks to support virtual servers, applications and data, as well […]

Written By: Steve Wexler
Jun 10, 2010
Channel Insider content and product recommendations are editorially independent. We may make money when you click on links to our partners. Learn More

NEW YORK — Brocade used its annual Technology Day event to unveil a new network architecture and strategy intended to help customers simplify the complexity of virtualizing their applications. In addition to Brocade One, the company announced new solutions and technologies to optimize data center networks to support virtual servers, applications and data, as well as previewed upcoming changes to its partner program.

The networking company’s vision is based on the premise that IT infrastructures will eventually evolve to a highly virtualized, services-on-demand state enabled through the cloud. Unlike its competitors, including Cisco, Dell, HP and Juniper, which offer proprietary or partial solutions, Brocade – whose key partners include Dell and HP – says its vision is built on a deep understanding of data center networking intricacies and the rejection of rip-and-replace deployment scenarios with vertically integrated stacks sourced from a single vendor.

Offering a variation on the former Sun Microsystems motto “the network is the computer”, Brocade CMO John McHugh says the entire network is your data center. Speaking to hundreds of financial and industry analysts, media and thousands of others via a live Webcast, he said “Data center is not the big issue, not the big opportunity. We’re moving to a world where the app can be anywhere in the cloud, this world where your entire network is your data center.”

Subscribe to Channel Insider. Click here for our ultra-quick email newsletter registration form.

McHugh later told Channel Insider that his competitors are “trivializing” what’s happening in the data center. “Brocade is perfectly positioned where the entire data center is becoming your network. It is a perfect combination of genetics to lead the industry for the next 5 to 10 years as the virtualization of the cloud plays out.”

In addition to its data-center vision, Brocade also announced converged fabric-based innovations designed to radically simplify network architectures and enable customers to build large, highly intelligent, converged fabrics based on industry-standard Data Center Bridging (DCB) technology. Due out later this year, Virtual Cluster Switching (VCS) will overcome the limitations of conventional Ethernet networking by applying non-stop operations, any-to-any connectivity and the intelligence of fabric switching, says the company. The initial version will support 1000 10GbE ports and 10,000 virtual machines (VMs).

Recommended for you...

Leadership Roundup: July Adjustments to Executive Benches

July saw major leadership shakeups across the channel, with key C-suite hires at Pipefy, Coro, Snowflake, Chainguard, and more.

Jordan Smith
Aug 1, 2025
July Roundup: AI, Cyber Key to Several M&A Developments

July’s M&A wave spotlighted AI security, with major players like Palo Alto Networks, Darktrace, and TD SYNNEX leading transformative deals.

Jordan Smith
Aug 1, 2025
Lemongrass Debuts Tool to Streamline SAP Clean Core Work

Lemongrass debuts Clean Core AI Accelerator to help SAP users cut complexity, reduce technical debt, and prepare ERP systems for cloud and AI upgrades.

Franklin Okeke
Jul 31, 2025
Trend Micro and Google Cloud Double Down on AI Security

The expanded alliance emphasizes AI-driven defenses, sovereign cloud capabilities, and new anti-scam protections for businesses worldwide.

Allison Francis
Jul 30, 2025
Channel Insider Logo

Channel Insider combines news and technology recommendations to keep channel partners, value-added resellers, IT solution providers, MSPs, and SaaS providers informed on the changing IT landscape. These resources provide product comparisons, in-depth analysis of vendors, and interviews with subject matter experts to provide vendors with critical information for their operations.

Property of TechnologyAdvice. © 2025 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.