TOKYO and PALO ALTO, CA, Nov. 16 - Hitachi, Ltd. and VMware announced the expansion of their strategic partnership to accelerate the deployment of reliable and trusted hybrid cloud solutions. As part of this partnership expansion, Hitachi plans to join the VMware vCloud Datacenter Services program.

Hitachi will join the VMware vCloud Datacenter Services program. VMware vCloud Datacenter Services offer enterprise-class hybrid cloud services to multiple countries around the world. Hitachi plans to offer VMware vCloud Datacenter Services as a part of the Hitachi cloud solution in fiscal year 2013.

"Hitachi and VMware have had a longstanding partnership, and we are pleased to expand our strategic partnership with them. VMware vCloud Datacenter Services offered by Hitachi will give global customers the ability to use enterprise-class cloud services that are reliable, scalable and secure," said Gary Green, vice president of Global Strategic Alliances at VMware.

Hitachi's social innovation business initiative seeks to provide social infrastructure to support customers with highly efficient and highly reliable information and telecommunications system technologies. As one of its high-priority initiatives, Hitachi is seeking to provide reliable and trusted hybrid cloud solutions on a global scale.

Hitachi will open a VMware Competency Center in December 2012 in Yokohama City, Kanagawa. The center aims to accelerate the development of hybrid cloud services based on VMware vCloud Datacenter Services, as well as IT platform products and services that support cloud computing. In parallel, the companies will jointly market and sell in the cloud services market.

VMware solutions will be supported as a premium level of Hitachi Support services.

Under the technical partnership with VMware, Hitachi will add VMware solutions to its premium level of support services. This enables customers to secure support for their business-critical cloud environments.

Hitachi is expanding its enterprise license agreements with VMware solutions globally, and will use them across the company's global IT systems of the Hitachi Group.

Evolution of Hitachi and VMware Partnership

Hitachi and VMware have had a strategic alliance in the storage business since 2004. Since then, the companies have promoted collaboration in a variety of fields such as the development of IT platform products, cloud, and utilization of big data.

In October 2012, Hitachi Data Systems introduced new converged infrastructure offerings with servers, network and storage solutions based on VMware cloud infrastructure. These solutions enable customers to construct and operate cloud environments quickly and easily. Hitachi Unified Compute Platform Pro for VMware vSphere is a pre-configured converged infrastructure solution that enables integrated infrastructure management from VMware vCenter Server to perform orchestration of the underlying physical infrastructure in addition to virtual servers. Hitachi Unified Compute Platform Select for VMware View is a pre-validated solution with flexible servers and storage options to meet the specific needs of the customer.

"We are enthusiastic about the expansion of our strategic partnership with VMware. By joining the VMware vCloud® Datacenter Services program, we can provide highly reliable, secure and optimized hybrid cloud services to our customers. In addition, as we work toward the development of future cloud services, we will work together to implement R&D, market and sales activities. We are excited about the collaboration between VMware and Hitachi," said Masaya Watanabe, Vice President and Executive Officer of Chief Strategy Officer of Information & Telecommunication Systems Company and Information & Telecommunication Systems Group at Hitachi.

About Hitachi Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2011 (ended March 31, 2012) consolidated revenues totaled 9,665 billion yen ($117.8 billion). Hitachi is focusing more than ever on the Social Innovation Business, which includes information and telecommunication systems, power systems, industrial, transportation and urban development systems, as well as the sophisticated materials and key devices that support them.

About VMware

VMware is the leader in virtualization and cloud infrastructure solutions that enable businesses to thrive in the Cloud Era. Customers rely on VMware to help them transform the way they build, deliver and consume Information Technology resources in a manner that is evolutionary and based on their specific needs. With 2011 revenues of $3.77 billion, VMware has more than 400,000 customers and 55,000 partners.

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Source: Hitachi and VMware