HP and Cisco Deliver Cisco Nexus Fabric Extenders for HP BladeSystem

PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 14, 2011 – To ensure choice and interoperability for their joint customers, HP and Cisco today announced another option to bridge their data center server and networking architectures.

The Cisco Fabric Extender for HP BladeSystem, also known as the Cisco Nexus B22 Fabric Extender (FEX) for HP, benefits customers by extending the Cisco Unified Fabric into the HP c-Class BladeSystem.

The solution offers tighter integration for customers investing in HP BladeSystem and Cisco Nexus switch environments by preserving investments with existing data center technology.

Co-engineered by HP and Cisco, this solution allows customers to easily connect and configure their HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure and Cisco Unified Fabric.

Benefits of the Cisco FEX for HP BladeSystem includes:

• increased network bandwidth and resiliency, which is needed for delivering mission-critical applications running on multiple server links;
• expanded flexibility to address changing business demands with consolidated migration paths from 1GbE to 10GbE networks;
• reduced network provisioning and maintenance required by IT administrators from the Cisco Nexus parent switch to as many as 24 fabric extenders.

HP BladeSystem c-Class provides integration of data center resources including cables, power supplies, fans networking and redundancy for increased efficiency and reduced costs by addressing IT sprawl at the server-to-network layer.

“BladeSystem customers are looking to HP for solutions that easily integrate into existing environments,” said Jim Ganthier, vice president, Marketing, Industry Standard Servers and Software, HP. “This new solution allows industry-standard collaboration options for enterprises choosing HP BladeSystem c-Class infrastructure while simplifying their connections and reducing network costs.”

“Our customers want to easily and cost-effectively take advantage of the latest Cisco Unified Fabric innovations,” said Soni Jiandani, senior vice president, Server, Access and Virtualization Technology Group, Cisco. “By offering the Cisco Nexus B22 Fabric Extender (FEX) for HP, our customers can extend the benefits of the Cisco Unified Fabric across their existing data center infrastructure.”

Pricing and availability

The Cisco Fabric Extender for HP BladeSystem is now available directly from HP and its authorized partners. Pricing begins at $9,799.⁽¹⁾

About Cisco

Cisco (NASDAQ:CSCO, news, filings) is the worldwide leader in networking that transforms how people connect, communicate and collaborate. Information about Cisco can be found at http://www.cisco.com. For ongoing news, please go to http://newsroom.cisco.com.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technologyto have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure at the convergence of the cloud and connectivity, creating seamless, secure, context-aware experiences for a connected world. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

⁽¹⁾Estimated U.S. street prices. Actual prices may vary.

This news release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions. If such risks or uncertainties materialize or such assumptions prove incorrect, the results of HP and its consolidated subsidiaries could differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements and assumptions. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements of the plans, strategies and objectives of management for future operations, including execution of growth strategies, transformation initiatives and restructuring plans; any statements concerning expected development, performance or market share relating to products and services; any statements regarding anticipated operational and financial results; any statements of expectation or belief; and any statements of assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Risks, uncertainties and assumptions include macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and events; the competitive pressures faced by HP’s businesses; the development and transition of new products and services (and the enhancement of existing products and services) to meet customer needs and respond to emerging technological trends; the execution and performance of contracts by HP and its customers, suppliers and partners; the protection of HP’s intellectual property assets, including intellectual property licensed from third parties; integration and other risks associated with business combination and investment transactions; the hiring and retention of key employees; expectations and assumptions relating to the execution and timing of growth strategies, transformation initiatives and restructuring plans; the resolution of pending investigations, claims and disputes; and other risks that are described in HP’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarter ended July 31, 2011 and HP’s other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to HP’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended October 31, 2010. HP assumes no obligation and does not intend to update these forward-looking statements.

© 2011 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein.

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