Dell buys Force10 Networks to bolster datacentre offerings

Dell is to buy Force10 Networks in a move designed to bolster its datacentre networking capabilities and offer broader solutions for enterprise customers.

Force10 is a provider of Ethernet router and switch equipment for gigabit and 10Gbit/s network fabric infrastructure in datacentre environments.

Dell said that the acquisition has been approved by both companies, and is expected to close by the end of the summer. The firms have operated as partners for several years.

"Dell's approach of offering open, capable and affordable solutions aligns with Force10's approach to offering new levels of flexibility, performance, scale and automation which is fundamental to changing the economics of datacentre networking," said Brad Anderson, senior vice president of Dell's Enterprise Solutions Group.

The move also comes a day after Intel disclosed its purchase of Fulcrum Microsystems for similar reasons, demonstrating the growing importance of more integrated solutions for customers building out datacentre infrastructure.

Quocirca analyst Clive Longbottom said that vendors in the datacentre market increasingly have to provide a more complete offering, as customers look towards building cloud-based infrastructure in the future.

"This is recognition of the fact that firms will not buy components for the datacentre in the future," he told V3.

"Rather than buy racks and fill them up, customers will expect to get a pre-filled rack with servers, storage and networking, so they don't have to spend so much time and effort getting it up and running."

With this acquisition, Dell is merely doing what it needs to stay relevant in this market, according to Longbottom.

"Dell would have been looking like they were off the curve, but this brings them back in the picture again," he said.