Channel Beat: HPE Plans To Acquire Nimble, Extreme Aims To Buy Avaya's Networking Business

On Tuesday, Hewlett Packard Enterprise disclosed plans to acquire Nimble Storage in a $1.09 billion dollar deal that’s expected to alter the balance of power in the all-flash data center market. HPE solution providers said the blockbuster deal is sure to have repercussions on Nimble's partnerships with HPE competitors such as Cisco Systems. Also on Tuesday, Extreme Networks said it plans to acquire Avaya's Networking business for $100 million. Extreme Networks CEO Ed Meyercord said he expects Avaya's networking business to generate over $200 million in annual revenue for Extreme, noting that the addition of Avaya’s portfolio will broaden Extreme's enterprise capabilities across vertical markets. Avaya in January filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, saying it needed to restructure its balance sheet to better position itself for the future. Also this week, Google channel chief Bertrand Yansouni took the wraps off new incentives for partners, including low-interest loans for Premier partners looking to grow their teams. The plans also included expanded co-funding for early-stage sales activities and new discounts and rebates, which are expected to help partners increase profitability and reinvest in their business. Google-cloud-business chief Dianne Green gave a keynote at the Google Next Cloud event, making the case that the company is a true enterprise technology player – spotlighting the company’s new position as a certified cloud platform for SAP HANA in-memory database.