Dell has announced the completion of its $1.4 billion acquisition of EqualLogic.

"Virtualisation and iSCSI are two keys to simplifying IT," said Michael Dell, chairman and CEO, Dell. "Enterprises are creating data and consuming power at an exponential rate, driving up IT cost and complexity. What we did for PCs and servers we are now going to do for storage. Together with our PartnerDirect channel, we will unleash the power of iSCSI and virtualisation to make storing and processing data easier and more affordable."

"Customers face extreme challenges with data growth," said Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager, Dell storage. "Their ideal solution is secure storage that uses existing infrastructure, installs in minutes not days, manages itself, grows easily as needs increase and plugs into the virtualized IT ecosystem. That’s EqualLogic. And that’s the incredible value we will deliver to customers."

Dell plans to preserve and build on EqualLogic’s channel programme in addition to offering products directly from Dell. Current EqualLogic partners will be enrolled into PartnerDirect and eligible for Dell’s newest certification - Enterprise Architecture. "The channel is critical to our go-to-market strategy, and we are committed to our partners’ continued success," said Bob Skelley, director Americas Channel Group. "This is just the beginning. Dell will continue to innovate and differentiate to earn the business of our channel partners."