Gaining EMC E-Lab Tested qualification means Emulex's products have been tested and proven compatible with EMC's storage solutions products. This is designed to give customers added peace of mind, by signaling verified compatibility between the two companies' systems.

Mike Smith, executive vice president of worldwide marketing at Emulex, said, "EMC and Emulex have a long-standing tradition of bringing quality networked storage solutions to market that maximize our customers' investments in their existing infrastructure." He explained what qualification stands for, adding, "Being qualified by the rigorous standards of the EMC E-Lab proves our excellence in providing high-performance and scalable Fibre Channel solutions for both current and emerging system bus architectures, such as PCI Express."

The two companies have been working together since August 2004 when EMC's Select program was created. The program enables EMC to sell storage networking components directly to customers. By providing the service, companies can quicken infrastructure deployments that support information lifecycle management (ILM).

"The EMC E-Lab Tested program demonstrates our ongoing commitment to providing customers with total solutions utilizing solid components that are pre-tested so they can have complete confidence in their infrastructure," said Chuck Hollis, EMC's vice president of platforms marketing, adding, "The Emulex LP10000ExDC and LP1050Ex Fibre Channel HBAs play a key role in a customer's storage networking environment and help them better manage their information throughout its lifecycle as part of a compete EMC solution."

Windows and Linux operating environments stand to benefit the most - Emulex was deemed compatible with EMC's Symmetrix and CLARiiON networked storage systems in those environments only. Customers already using EMC storage solutions can realize the benefits inherent to Emulex's LightPulse host bus adaptors. According to Emulex, simplified upgrade paths, reduced management complexities, and lower total cost of ownership can all be realized using its product line.