FCoE to make waves in SAN market, says report

Fibre Channel over Ethernet to make inroads into Fibre Channel by 2011

Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) will be the primary alternative to Fibre Channel (FC) by 2011, according to market watcher Dell’Oro Group.

A report from the analyst revealed that sales of FCoE switches and adapters are predicted to contribute more to the growth of the storage area network market than FC within two years.

Seamus Crehan, vice president of Dell’Oro Group, said: “Since FCoE will be a key datacentre technology, continued investment in this sector should bode well for the technology.

“Although FCoE may have a compelling cost-saving story, customers have to initially invest in the technology to reap these benefits. With today’s macroeconomic uncertainty, users are deferring new equipment purchases and lab testing. No matter how enticing the potential savings are on FCoE, if it does not get tested in the lab, it will not be rolled out.”