Cisco, EMC cooperate on cloud computing

BEIJING, Nov. 2 (Xinhuanet) -- Cisco Systems Inc and EMC Corp are teaming up to sell a new line of hardware aimed at cloud computing, according to media reports on Monday.

The line of products named vBlock will help the two companies to better compete against International Business Machines Corp (IBM) and Hewlett-Packard Co (HP), which sell a broader array of data center equipment than either Cisco or EMC offer on their own.

Cisco will provide the networking gear and server computers to the vBlock line, while EMC contributes storage equipment and virtualization technology from its VMware Inc software subsidiary, according to the reports.

One part of the partnership calls for the two companies to form a joint venture that will sell vBlock as a hosted service. Customers can pay for that service based on the amount of computing power and storage that they need, accessing it via the Internet.

For Cisco, the world's biggest maker of networking equipment, the venture could help kick-start the company's move into the computer server market. It launched its first line of computer servers earlier this year. Also, the venture may help EMC expand its footprint in the area of cloud computing.

Cloud-computing refers to hosted computing services that customers access over the Internet. Analysts forecast that such services will grow far faster than an otherwise sluggish technology market over the coming years.

Officials with Cisco and EMC declined comment.