10/05-05   -   Pressmeddelande

Brocade Empowers European OEM and Reseller Partners

Brocade´s OEM and reseller partners have increased their sales in Europe in part due to the company´s Fabric Partner Programme

Brocade Communications Systems, Inc. (Brocade®) (Nasdaq: BRCD), a leading provider of infrastructure solutions for Storage Area Networks (SANs), today announced that its OEM and reseller partners have increased their sales in Europe in part due to the company´s Fabric Partner Programme, which gives partners the innovative tools they need in order to be successful.

The Brocade Fabric Partner Programme features two partnership levels: Premier and Elite. Premier status is available for any reseller that registers with Brocade, while Elite status is aimed at those resellers that generate US$1 million in annual revenue (US$2 million for distributors). Elite Brocade Fabric Partners sign a joint Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with Brocade and receive a catalogue of benefits honouring the partnership, including Marketing Development Funds (MDF), demonstration equipment, and training.

Brocade offers all partners the following benefits:
1. Sales and marketing tools. These include access to the secure Brocade Partner Network Web site; sales incentive programmes, such as Brocade Bonus Rewards; sales guides, presentations, and training; new product launch kits; partner emblems and product images; and product information such as press releases, white papers, and data sheets.
2. Marketing and education. This includes free Brocade seminars and training events; Brocade University partner training; discounts on Brocade education and certification; and a CD full of Brocade marketing and technical resources.
3. Technical support. This includes a Brocade product compatibility matrix; access to training Webcasts; best-practice guides, technical briefs, and white papers; firmware downloads; product documentation; the Partner Newsflash; and the ability to purchase demonstration equipment at discounted prices.

Elite Partners Receive Additional Benefits
Brocade Elite Partners receive additional benefits such as MDF; dedicated Brocade sales and marketing resources; a listing on the Brocade Web site; and presales technical support. Elite Partners can also use their MDF for new equipment and certification training.

- The small and medium market segment in storage area networking continues to grow as products get more attractive in price and are easier to handle. The business partner community is crucial to our sales success in Europe, so we are investing heavily to help our partners be successful, said Barbara Spicek, Director, Partner Sales, Brocade EMEA and Latin America. - Our expanded partner benefits portfolio is designed to build our partners´ SAN expertise, sales skills, and business revenue. It´s a win-win situation for everyone.

Brocade has also launched Partner Newsflash, an e-newsletter for Premier, Elite, and Master Reseller Partners that highlights new products, changes to the partner programme, education seminars, and special offers.

- With the Brocade Elite Partner program, we have the outstanding opportunity to support Magirus partners in the whole of Europe in all their storage activities and to pinpoint new business opportunities in the area of SAN infrastructure, explained Christian Magirus, Executive Vice President and COO of Magirus AG, one of the leading European value-added distributors in the area of IT infrastructure. - Especially the extended training level, the excellent demo equipment, and the improved presales support strengthens our company and thus our partners´ position to provide the best SAN solutions possible.

About Brocade Communications Systems, Inc.
Brocade offers the industry´s leading intelligent platform for networking storage. The world´s leading systems, applications, and storage vendors have selected Brocade to provide a networking foundation for their SAN solutions. The Brocade SilkWorm family of fabric switches and software is designed to optimise data availability and storage and server resources in the enterprise. Using Brocade solutions, companies can simplify SAN implementation, reduce the total cost of ownership of data storage environments, and improve network and application efficiency. For more information, visit the Brocade Web site at www.brocade.com or contact the company at info@brocade.com.

Brocade, the Brocade B weave logo, Fabric OS, Secure Fabric OS, and SilkWorm are registered trademarks of Brocade Communications Systems, Inc., in the United States and/or in other countries. FICON is a registered trademark of IBM Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. All other brands, products, or service names are or may be trademarks or service marks of, and are used to identify, products or services of their respective owners.