Buying into file virtualization

Network Optimization This newsletter is sponsored by Radware Is Your Network Letting You Down? When your business-critical applications aren't working, neither are your users. Radware's APSolute(tm) integrated application delivery solution ensures your networked and Web-based applications are available 24/7, run fast and stay secure. Maximize profitability by making your network application-smart. Network World's Network Optimization Newsletter, 08/14/07 Buying into file virtualization By Ann Bednarz Last week I wrote about the new version of F5 Networks’ WebAccelerator software, which can accelerate Web application traffic between two Big-IP devices. Shortly after unveiling that product upgrade, F5 is making headlines again. This time it’s for an acquisition. The target is Acopia Networks, which makes file virtualization products. Acopia’s ARX Series appliances can virtualize files stored on network-attached storage devices and file servers, allowing IT administrators to define and automatically enforce data-management policies in the network. F5 is putting up $210 million to acquire Acopia in a cash deal expected to close next month. The purchase will extend F5’s portfolio of performance and security technologies beyond servers and applications and into the data storage realm, the company says. “This acquisition is highly complementary to F5’s strategy of optimizing the application infrastructure from the core of the data center to the edge of the network,” said John McAdam, F5’s president and CEO of F5 Networks, in a statement. Network World LAN/WAN Buyer's Guide Find the right LAN/WAN products for your enterprise - fast. Our extensive database of detailed product information will help you quickly pinpoint what you need. With the side-by-side comparison tool you can evaluate product features and make the best decision for your enterprise. Click here to go to the Buyer's Guide now. By absorbing Acopia, F5 will be able to aim its wares at a wider portion of enterprise IT budgets, plus target IT buyers with dual responsibility for applications and associated file storage. “IT executives are increasing their deployments of file-based storage by 50% to more than 200% a year as they consolidate existing data centers and roll out new fixed content applications,” said Richard Villars, vice president of storage systems research at IDC, in a statement. “These companies need solutions like intelligent file virtualization to improve the efficiency and reduce the costs associated with creating, organizing, protecting, and retaining exploding volumes of business critical, file-based information.” Gartner analysts Joe Skorupa and Robert Passmore had this to say about the impending union: “Increasingly, application delivery controllers (such as F5's Big-IP products) are being used by teams that manage servers and applications — who are also the users of file storage virtualization.” If F5 can successfully integrate the two product sets, and market and sell a unified range of products, customers looking to simply server consolidation projects will benefit from the data migration capabilities in Acopia's ARX, combined with F5’s WAN optimization products, wrote the two research vice presidents in a recent Gartner brief. Serial entrepreneur Cheng Wu founded Acopia in 2002. Among Wu’s other ventures are ArrowPoint Communications, which he sold to Cisco, and Arris Networks, which Cascade acquired.   What do you think? Post a comment on this newsletter

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Contact the author: Ann Bednarz is an associate news editor at Network World responsible for editing daily news content. She previously covered enterprise applications, e-commerce and telework trends for Network World. E-mail Ann. This newsletter is sponsored by Radware Is Your Network Letting You Down? When your business-critical applications aren't working, neither are your users. Radware's APSolute(tm) integrated application delivery solution ensures your networked and Web-based applications are available 24/7, run fast and stay secure. Maximize profitability by making your network application-smart. ARCHIVE Archive of the Network Optimization Newsletter. BONUS FEATURE IT PRODUCT RESEARCH AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Get detailed information on thousands of products, conduct side-by-side comparisons and read product test and review results with Network World’s IT Buyer’s Guides. Find the best solution faster than ever with over 100 distinct categories across the security, storage, management, wireless, infrastructure and convergence markets. Click here for details. PRINT SUBSCRIPTIONS AVAILABLE You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered to your inbox each day. Extend your knowledge with a print subscription to the Network World newsweekly, Apply here today. International subscribers, click here. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World newsletter, change your e-mail address or contact us, click here. This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com. Please use this address when modifying your subscription. Advertising information: Write to Associate Publisher Online Susan Cardoza Network World, Inc., 118 Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772 Copyright Network World, Inc., 2007