Cisco helps drive "record" Q4 SAN mkt.

Sequential growth impressive as numbers meet 2008 totals

By Jim Duffy on Mon, 03/15/10 - 4:13pm.

The FibreChannel SAN market grew a record 15% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2009, according to Dell'Oro Group. Both the FibreChannel Switch and Host Bus Adapter segments of the market posted large increases, the firm found.

Cisco, Brocade, Emulex and QLogic all had strong quarters marked by sizable gains from Q3, Dell'Oro found. Demand was stoked by improving economic conditions, "overzealous" budget cuts during the first half of 2009, government stimulus, and some alleviated supply constraints, the firm concluded. A server upgrade cycle that began in the second quarter didn't hurt either, helping drive growth of FibreChannel HBAs, "especially 8Gbps," Dell'Oro found.

Dell'Oro hasn't released Q4 numbers yet but the results put revenues "close to par" with 2008's Q4 record tally of $677.6 million, while port shipments exceeded 2008 levels of 2.4 million.

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