Dell Computer Corp. scored a major coup over fellow storage providers Monday when it revealed that the National
Football League (NFL) will embrace Dell servers and Dell/EMC storage systems exclusively over the next year.
While specific financial terms of the arrangement were not disclosed, Dell spokesperson Michelle Mosmeyer told InternetNews.com that the NFL is expected to purchase more than 120
PowerEdge 2500 and
2550 servers this year from Dell and implement a Dell |
EMC storage area network (SAN) solution.
Dell will also will serve as the official computer systems
provider of Super Bowl XXXVI, scheduled for Feb. 3 at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans.
The League said it will install Dell PowerEdge 6450 servers to process game-day statistics and manage other tasks to help ensure
communication between the league and the teams. The NFL will also use Dell computer systems in the temporary offices the NFL
establishes in New Orleans for the big game.
“Supporting a premier event like the Super Bowl gives Dell an opportunity to showcase the performance and reliability of our
products — performance and reliability that our customers demand and deserve,” said Ro Parra, senior vice president and general
manager of Dell Americas, in a public statement.
While the deal is a clear victory for Dell over PC-making rivals Compaq Computer Corp., Hitachi Data Systems Inc.
and IBM Corp.
, it also showcases the fruits of an October 2001 agreement between Austin,
Texas-based Dell and embattled storage systems giant EMC Corp.
In that five-year, multi-billion dollar co-branding
pact, Dell and Hopkinton, Mass.-based EMC agreed to co-brand EMC’s CLARiiON line of enterprise storage systems, making the No. 1
computer manufacturer the leading reseller of the CLARiiON product line. CLARiiON, in turn, became Dell’s standard offering for
storage area networks (SAN) and high-end network-attached storage (NAS) installations.