Not sure how many of you have seen the press on Cisco taking a 80% stake in stealth startup Nuova Systems.? Nuova System is a reincarnation of the Andiamo group which spun back into Cisco and today is what we all know as the Cisco MDS (SAN switching) product line.? There is little out there on Nuova Systems but the buzz is that they are working on a virtualization technology.? I guess the question is with all the money and power Cisco wields, does Brocade/McData stand a chance?? Does Brocade/McData have what it takes to innovate, or will the market goliath (Cisco) out innovate the smaller more nimble competitor?? With alliances like this it certainly looks that way.? One has to question the time that will be spent on the integration of the Brocade and McData product lines and positioning, and how much time this will leave for technology innovation.? It will be interesting to watch how this one unfolds.

-RJB