

"Cisco obviously sees the market opportunity in Fibre Channel," commented McData senior product marketing manager Mike Tomky. Brocade and McData are in agreement that the move justifies their existence. The multibillion-dollar IP networking mammoth's entry into this market isn't necessarily bad news to its current leaders. All offer a multi-protocol/multi-transport package that includes Fibre Channel, iSCSI, FCIP, as well as future aberrations of storage protocol connectivity. MDS 95 multi-layer directors (along with an eight-port MDS 9000 IP Storage module) are anticipated sometime during the first half of 2003. Cisco's first offerings, the MDS 9509 multi-layer director and MDS 9216 multi-layer fabric switch (along with 16- and 32-port MDS 9000 Fibre Channel switching modules), are expected to be available in the fourth quarter of this year. The acquisition led to the unveiling of Cisco's new MDS (multi-layer data center switch) 9000 Family of multi-layer directors and fabric switches. Is there room for three major players? If not, what will lead to Cisco's fortune, fortitude, or failure? Marked as a fiercely competitive market, questions arise as to Cisco's viability in the space. It joins market leaders Brocade and McData in what Gartner Group predicts as a $4.3 billion market by 2006. The acquisition extends from a definitive agreement inked in 2001 under which, at its closing (expected in the third quarter of Cisco's 2004 fiscal year, but no later than July 31, 2004), shares of Cisco common stock will be exchanged for all outstanding shares and options of Andiamo not already owned by Cisco. Recently, Cisco made its entry into the Fibre Channel SAN switching market by exercising its right to acquire intelligent storage switch developer Andiamo Systems.

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