Dell rounds out networking portfolio with Force10 buy

Hardware giant celebrates buying its way into "comprehensive" product set

Dell claims it has bought its way into a "comprehensive" networking portfolio with its acquisition of Force10 Networks.

The systems and server giant announced earlier today that it has inked a definitive agreement to acquire the networking vendor for an undisclosed sum. Force10, which has annual sales of nigh-on $200m, specialises in datacentre-focused networking technology.

In a conference call with media and analysts, Dario Zamarian, vice president of Dell Networking, claimed the buyout will fill in the blanks of his firm's portfolio, which is built around the PowerConnect range of switches.

"Dell has been in networking quite a while, but PowerConnect was never an aspiring product line within the datacentre" he explained. "We now have a comprehensive portfolio - PowerConnect for the campus, and Force10 for the datacentre. They are very much complementary and this is very much a growth story."