Fujitsu Selects Brocade VDX Data Center Switches to Help Turbocharge Fast-Growing Virtual Desktop Service

TOKYO, JAPAN--(Marketwired - May 11, 2016) - Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) today announced that IT solutions and services giant Fujitsu has deployed an intelligent Ethernet Fabric, built around Brocade® VDX switches, to provide the network foundation for its second-generation virtual desktop-as-a-service (V-DaaS) managed infrastructure. This has enabled Fujitsu to boost service performance, reduce operational costs, and increase reliability through operational automation.

Launched in Japan in 2014, Fujitsu V-DaaS was designed from the outset to deliver a PC-like performance by eliminating potential bottlenecks that could impact end-users' online experience. The service's system infrastructure is operated at Fujitsu's data center, which features the highest level of robustness and security in Japan. Development of the second-generation service platform was undertaken with the goal of increasing performance, resilience and scalability to meet exponential growth in demand.

"The combination of our PRIMERGY servers, ETERNUS storage systems and Brocade VDX network switches has resulted in a very stable reference configuration which we now use within our own organization to support 20,000 employees' desktops," said Narumi Takano, Director, Desktop as a Service Business, Service Management Unit, Integration Services Business, Fujitsu Limited. "We are also now rolling out the new system infrastructure to support the diverse needs of our corporate customers. Brocade VDX switches are therefore a key element in the success of our rapidly growing business."

When designing the next-generation V-DaaS infrastructure, Fujitsu engineers placed a lot of focus on the performance requirements specific to virtual desktop environments, with the FUJITSU Storage ETERNUS series earmarked to enhance storage performance. To optimize performance of the infrastructure as a whole, it was important to identify the best network solution that could connect the NAS at wire speed, without packet loss, to the virtual machines running on the PRIMERGY servers. Following an evaluation of switches from multiple vendors, Fujitsu selected the Brocade VDX 6740 switch as providing the highest performance with ETERNUS and it was then subjected to 10 months of rigorous integration testing.

"Demand for virtual desktop services is booming in Japan, particularly among financial institutions, medical organizations and local governments where data leakage incidents and the recent launch of the 'My Number' Social Security and Tax Number System have raised awareness of the need for enhanced security," said Masakazu Aoba, VP of Japan, Brocade. "Fujitsu's next-generation V-DaaS service, leveraging our New IP network solution, has set a new standard for virtual desktop performance and resiliency, creating a compelling value proposition for corporate customers."

In the V-DaaS data center, the Brocade VDX 6740 switches employ Brocade VCS® Fabric technology to create a self-forming, self-healing Ethernet fabric. According to Fujitsu, the Brocade VDX 6740 switches simplified reconfiguration and expansion while reducing more than half of the network administration workload for design and configuration, compared to conventional three-tier switching architecture.