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back to article Dell shakes up storage array game with 3PAR buy

Dell is changing the enterprise storage array supplier landscape by buying 3PAR for $1.15bn, adding an enterprise block storage array to its storage product roster and complementing the iSCSI EqualLogic storage arrays it bought in 2007. Dell paid $1.4bn for EqualLogic, and it's turned out to be an astute and successful …

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  1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
    Boffin

    Smart move.

    As long as they don't upset EMC this should be a good buy for Dell. I did wonder if Dell were going to buy or merge with NetApp before the Equilogic buy, and I did think at the time that NetApp would have given a more rounded product range than just Equilogic's iSCSI bits, but 3PAR fills in the gap nicely. It does make me wonder how long NetApp can prosper as a storage-only vendor, maybe IBM will buy them?

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  2. The Original Steve

    Ethernet

    I pray to God that Dell leave Juniper alone.

    Although to be honest they need to do something... their current ethernet stack is woeful. Never used such as PITA switch OS in my life as their high end PowerConnect 6xxx series.

    (The boss blagged two for free. A month later we brought Juniper instead)

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  3. Borneo

    Special relationship

    I can't see how the Dell/EMC reseller relationship is going to last much longer. They are now competing against them in block and file based storage. Is the Dell rep going to push ultra-expensive Symmetrix, when they can push their own merely very expensive 3PAR kit?

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    1. Matt Bryant Silver badge
      Reply Icon
      Boffin

      RE: Special relationship

      Well, they may be aiming fo the type of relationship such as hp have with HDS over the XP array family, where hp have maintained a very profitable relationship despite competing with Hitachi in the rest of the storage area. It could be a good symbiotic relationship - Dell get to keep a top-end SAN storage capability from EMC, and EMC get an entry into many of the top-end x64 deals. There were people that said hp and HDS would fall out when the original XP arrays were launched, but that seems to have gone from strength to strength, so I don't see why Dell and EMC can't build on the existing relationship.

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  4. Anonymous Coward
    Coffee/keyboard

    That'll be the end for Dell EMC then ...

    With 3par, dell now have all the bits required that EMC have previously provided. They won't need clarion/celerra/data domain, seeing as they have exanet and ocarina to fill in the blanks.

    Mr Dell does not want to sell EMC as his margin is nowhere near as high as when he sells something that he owns.

    It wouldn't surprise me if Dells next move is to buy a backup company (eg. Commvault).

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Got to laugh...

    I'm no EMC fan but no WAY does this mean Dell can compete with EMC. Dell don't have the technical ability to deal with server deployment never mind storage ones. They realised that, that's why they partnered with EMC.

    The good thing for the other suppliers is now 3PAR's merely adequate support has been replaced with Dell's woeful attempt.

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  6. Adam 61

    Interesting

    Good buy by Dell - they are starting to rack some up, not so sure its a good move for 3pars customer though.......

    I suspect theyve been wanting to undo the golden handcuffs EMC handed them for some time, and this is a step a long the way to doing that. The key is how quickly can Dell execute and integrate 3Par fully into their solution offerings

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  7. George 24
    Thumb Up

    Dell strikes again

    Dell was also deemed incapable of managing the Equalogic range when it purchased it. Guess what, it has managed very well indeed. EMC may want to consider that Dell will become a very strong adversary and maybe align itself much closer to Dell, just in case.

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Err...

    While the 3PAR array is an excellent bit of kit, it is no way a competitor to the Symmetrix DMX or VMAX, 3PAR say this themselves.

    I just hope that Dell don't bugger up the customer services or start to mess about with the hardware quality like they've done so many times before...

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  9. Man Mountain

    Or is it HP buying 3PAR

    HP have emerged as favourites to buy 3PAR now with a strong counter bid! Huge blow for Dell if they didn't close this deal.

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    1. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Alert

      Great news for HP storage competitors

      HP's bid for 3Par (especially now that we know Dell will resubmit theirs) is great news for HP enterprise competitors: with it HP basically admitted that its EVA line of arrays is going nowhere.

      If HP manages to win the 3Par bidding war, it's gonna cost them dearly and cause confusion among their partners and customers (why spend that FY10 budget on the EVA when the entire series is going nowhere or why bother evaluating the EVA for FY11?).

      If they fail to acquire 3Par, Dell will hurt HP badly starting in FY11. And HP's customers and partners would still have to wonder about long-term viability of the EVA.

      I don't know who's behind this but I'd guess it's Donatelli (make a big acquisition and better position himself to become the next HP CEO). It sounds like a plan, but a risky one.

      If I had to guess I'd say this won't end well for HP.

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