Juniper Networks and IBM expand relationship 
ConvergenceAsia staff
24/07/2009

High-performance networking solutions provider Juniper Networks and IBM have broadened their strategic relationship by entering into an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) agreement that will enable IBM to provide Juniper’s Ethernet networking products and support within IBM’s data centre portfolio of products.

The addition of Juniper’s products to IBM’s data centre networking portfolio provides customers with a best-in-class networking solution and accelerates both companies’ shared vision of advancing the economics of networking and the data centre by reducing costs, improving services and managing risk.

“With Juniper’s Ethernet technologies added to our data centre portfolio, IBM is able to offer customers more choice and flexibility in their networking solutions to address the growing demands being placed on their IT environments,” said Jim Comfort, IBM VP of Enterprise Initiatives.

This new OEM agreement with Juniper will help support IBM’s data centre networking initiatives through unparalleled network scalability, carrier-class reliability and operational simplicity, accelerating the deployment of our customers’ virtualised applications and services, and extending the value of their networks, Comfort added.

The broadened IBM and Juniper relationship is further evidence of the growing importance of the high-performance network in the progression of data centres toward cloud computing or cloud-like infrastructures.

Both companies have agreed that a high-performance network is vital to the backbone for both the data centre (enabling service production) and the global network (enabling service delivery).

“This OEM agreement represents a continued deepening of our relationship with IBM, and a significant new route to market for Juniper,” said C K Lam, regional enterprise solutions manager, Juniper Networks Asia Pacific.

“Our focus on delivering fast, reliable, secure, simplified networks fits perfectly into IBM’s dynamic infrastructure initiative to help customers accelerate growth and innovation, while creating operational efficiencies and overall savings,” said Lam.

The OEM agreement allows IBM System & Technology Group (STG) to brand, label and sell select Juniper EX Series Ethernet switches and MX Series Ethernet Services routers.

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