Brocade Communications Systems
An American enterprise networking company best known for Fibre Channel storage-area-network equipment and data-center switching, acquired by Broadcom in 2017.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
Brocade Communications Systems was an American technology company whose principal business was enterprise storage networking. It became one of the best-known suppliers of Fibre Channel switches, directors, extension systems, host adapters, management software, and related components used to connect servers with shared storage in data centers. The company’s products were commonly deployed in storage-area networks, where reliability, predictable latency, high port density, and uninterrupted operation were important requirements. Brocade was founded in August 1995 by Seth Neiman, Kumar Malavalli, and Paul R. Bonderson. Malavalli had helped develop the Fibre Channel specification, while Neiman and Bonderson brought experience from Sun Microsystems and Intel. The company released its first product, the SilkWorm Fibre Channel switch, in 1997. The SilkWorm family helped establish Brocade as a major specialist in switched Fibre Channel and gave the company a durable identity built around the metaphor of a network “fabric.” Brocade incorporated in Delaware in 1998 and went public on Nasdaq in 1999 under the symbol BRCD. During the late 1990s and 2000s, Brocade expanded from entry-level Fibre Channel switches into director-class systems and increasingly sophisticated storage fabrics. Its technology supported enterprise storage protocols including Fibre Channel, FICON, Fibre Channel over IP, Fibre Channel over Ethernet, and related data-center connectivity standards. The SilkWorm 12000, introduced in 2002, was an important move into high-capacity director systems and helped Brocade gain ground against McDATA in the mainframe and storage-director market. Later generations included the DCX Backbone, DCX-4S, and DCX 8510 platforms, along with Fabric OS software, extension products, encryption systems, and management tools. Brocade also pursued adjacent networking markets. It acquired or developed capabilities involving Ethernet fabrics, low-latency data-center switching, campus and carrier Ethernet, routers, application delivery controllers, network adapters, software-defined networking, network virtualization, and security. The acquisition of Foundry Networks in 2008 significantly broadened its Ethernet and IP portfolio. The company subsequently owned Vyatta, whose software networking products included virtual routers, firewalls, VPN functions, and other virtual network appliances. This expansion was intended to make Brocade a broader data-center and enterprise-networking provider rather than solely a storage specialist. On November 2, 2016, Broadcom Limited announced an agreement to acquire Brocade for approximately $5.5 billion. Regulatory and customer-competition concerns led to the planned divestiture of Brocade’s IP networking hardware and software-defined-networking assets. Ruckus Wireless and several other businesses were sold or separated during the transaction process, and Brocade’s SDN technology was spun out into Lumina Networks in 2017. Broadcom completed the acquisition in November 2017. The independent public company therefore ceased to exist, while selected Fibre Channel and storage-networking products continued under Broadcom’s Brocade brand and business operations. The historical Brocade company should be distinguished from the later brand and product portfolio operated by Broadcom.
History
Brocade originated in the emerging Fibre Channel market of the mid-1990s. Seth Neiman, Kumar Malavalli, and Paul R. Bonderson founded the company in August 1995, combining venture, semiconductor, systems, and standards expertise. Its first commercial product, the SilkWorm switch, appeared in early 1997. The product used Brocade-designed switching silicon and firmware that evolved into Fabric OS, creating the foundation for the company’s long-term storage-networking platform. Brocade incorporated in Delaware on May 14, 1998. Gregory Reyes became chief executive during the company’s early expansion, and the business went public on May 25, 1999. Its shares traded on Nasdaq under BRCD. Brocade’s early switch generations established a broad installed base in Fibre Channel SANs, while the company developed higher-density products for large enterprise and mainframe environments. The SilkWorm 6400 and later director systems helped make “director” a standard term for high-end Fibre Channel switching platforms. The 2002 SilkWorm 12000 was a major technical and commercial milestone. It used Brocade’s BLOOM ASIC generation, supported up to 128 ports, adopted a backplane-and-blade architecture, and added support relevant to mainframe FICON deployments. Brocade gained significant share in the director segment, historically dominated by McDATA. Subsequent products such as the SilkWorm 24000, SilkWorm 48000, multiprotocol routers, extension blades, and embedded switches broadened the SAN portfolio. Brocade continued increasing Fibre Channel speeds and system scale. The DCX Backbone launched in 2008 as an 8 Gbit/s platform, followed by the DCX-4S in 2009. Products introduced in this period extended SANs over IP through FCIP and connected Fibre Channel environments with Ethernet through FCoE. In 2011, the company introduced its 16 Gbit/s Gen 5 Fibre Channel family, including the DCX 8510, 6510, and 1860 Fabric Adapter. Fabric Vision, announced in 2013, combined switch ASIC capabilities, Fabric OS, and management software for monitoring, diagnostics, and flow analysis. The company also pursued a wider networking strategy. Its acquisition of Foundry Networks expanded Brocade’s Ethernet, routing, and data-center portfolio. Brocade developed VDX switches and Virtual Cluster Switching for low-latency Ethernet fabrics, while its broader product set included carrier networking, application delivery, network adapters, and management software. Through Vyatta, it added software-based routers, firewalls, VPN functions, and virtual networking appliances. This expansion exposed Brocade to larger and more diversified markets but also placed it in direct competition with major IP-networking suppliers. Lloyd Carney was appointed chief executive in January 2013. In November 2016, Broadcom Limited announced a proposed acquisition valued at about $5.5 billion. The transaction required changes to Brocade’s portfolio because Broadcom sought to avoid competing with important customers in certain networking markets. Brocade therefore divested or spun off several businesses, including Ruckus Wireless, Connectem, Vyatta and vRouter-related assets, virtual application-delivery products, and parts of its data-center networking and SDN operations. Brocade announced in August 2017 that its SDN technology had been spun out as Lumina Networks. Broadcom completed the acquisition in November 2017. Brocade’s independent listing and corporate identity ended, while Broadcom retained and continued developing the Fibre Channel storage-networking business under the Brocade name. Later Brocade-branded product generations, including Gen 6 and Gen 7 Fibre Channel systems, belong to the post-acquisition Broadcom operation and should not be treated as launches by the formerly independent Brocade Communications Systems corporation.
- 2017
Independent company acquired
[1]Broadcom completed the acquisition after Brocade separated several networking businesses and its SDN technology was spun out as Lumina Networks.
- 2016
Broadcom announces acquisition
[1]Broadcom Limited announced plans to acquire Brocade for approximately $5.5 billion.
- 2013
Fabric Vision announced
[1]Brocade introduced monitoring, diagnostics, threshold management, and traffic-analysis capabilities across its SAN environment.
- 2011
Gen 5 Fibre Channel platform introduced
[1]The DCX 8510, 6510, and 1860 Fabric Adapter formed Brocade’s initial 16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel generation.
- 2008
Foundry Networks acquisition
[1]Brocade acquired Foundry Networks, broadening its portfolio beyond storage networking into Ethernet and IP infrastructure.
- 2008
DCX Backbone introduced
[1]Brocade launched the 8 Gbit/s DCX Backbone for large-scale Fibre Channel fabrics.
- 2002
SilkWorm 12000 director launched
[1]The high-capacity director platform expanded Brocade’s presence in enterprise and mainframe storage networking.
- 1999
Initial public offering
[1]Brocade became a Nasdaq-listed public company under the ticker BRCD.
- 1997
SilkWorm Fibre Channel switch introduced
[1]Brocade released its first product, the SilkWorm switch, establishing the product family that became central to its SAN business.
- 1995
Company founded
[1]Seth Neiman, Kumar Malavalli, and Paul R. Bonderson founded Brocade in August to develop networking products for the emerging Fibre Channel market.
Products and positioning
Enterprise data-center and storage-networking infrastructure provider, with a core reputation in high-availability Fibre Channel SAN fabrics and later expansion into Ethernet, IP, and software-defined networking.
Fibre Channel switches · 1997
SilkWorm
SilkWorm was Brocade’s foundational Fibre Channel switch family. The first generation appeared in 1997, and later models served small, mid-sized, and large SAN environments. Product naming reflected the company’s fabric-oriented branding and the switched topology of Fibre Channel networks. The family established Brocade’s reputation for dedicated storage connectivity and evolved through successive ASIC, port-speed, and capacity generations.
Fibre Channel director · 2008
DCX Backbone
The DCX Backbone was a modular, high-density Fibre Channel director platform introduced for enterprise storage fabrics. It supported replaceable blades, large port counts, high-speed interconnects, and extension or encryption functions. The DCX family represented Brocade’s transition from fixed SAN switches toward scalable chassis systems used in demanding data-center and mainframe environments.
16 Gbit/s Fibre Channel director · 2011
DCX 8510
Introduced in 2011, the DCX 8510 was part of Brocade’s Gen 5 Fibre Channel portfolio. It was designed for virtualized and high-performance storage environments, with modular chassis options, high port density, and optical inter-chassis links intended to simplify multi-chassis fabrics. It served as a flagship platform during Brocade’s independent-company period.
SAN operating software · 1997
Fabric OS
Fabric OS was Brocade’s embedded operating environment for Fibre Channel switches and directors. It provided fabric control, device management, monitoring, upgrades, and protocol functions across multiple hardware generations. The software was a central part of Brocade’s platform strategy because it helped maintain a consistent operating model across fixed switches, directors, extension systems, and related SAN products.
Ethernet data-center switching · 2010
Brocade VDX and Virtual Cluster Switching
The VDX line and Virtual Cluster Switching represented Brocade’s move into low-latency Ethernet fabrics. The technology used data-center bridging and related fabric mechanisms to reduce dependence on traditional spanning-tree designs and support highly available, multi-switch data-center networks. These assets were among the IP networking businesses separated during the Broadcom acquisition process.
Virtual networking software
Vyatta software networking
Vyatta supplied software-based networking functions such as virtual routers, firewalls, VPN capabilities, and virtual application-delivery functions. Brocade used the portfolio to participate in software-defined networking and network-function virtualization. The relevant assets were divested or separated as part of the transaction preparations for Broadcom’s acquisition.
Brand decisions
2017
Separation of SDN and adjacent networking assetsStrategyBackground
Broadcom stated that selected IP networking hardware and software businesses would be sold or separated to reduce overlap with major customers and address transaction concerns.
Action taken
Brocade divested or separated businesses including Ruckus Wireless, Connectem, virtual application-delivery products, Vyatta-related assets, and parts of its data-center networking portfolio. Its SDN technology was spun out as Lumina Networks.
Aftermath
The transaction proceeded with a narrower Brocade portfolio focused primarily on storage networking and Fibre Channel products.
2016
Agreement to be acquired by BroadcomM&ABackground
Brocade had a strong storage-networking franchise but had also expanded into Ethernet, routing, wireless, and software networking. Broadcom proposed acquiring the company for approximately $5.5 billion.
Action taken
Brocade agreed to Broadcom Limited’s acquisition proposal. The transaction structure required the disposal or separation of several IP networking and software assets.
Aftermath
Broadcom completed the acquisition in November 2017. Brocade stopped operating as an independent listed company, while the Fibre Channel storage-networking business continued under Broadcom’s Brocade brand.
Announced transaction value. Approximately $5.5 billion (2016 announcement; acquisition completed November 2017)
Recent events
- 2017
Brocade separates networking assets during Broadcom transaction[1]
M&A
To address competition concerns and facilitate the acquisition, Brocade sold or separated several IP networking, wireless, virtualization, and software-defined-networking businesses.
- 2017
Brocade completes acquisition by Broadcom[1]
M&A
Broadcom completed its acquisition of Brocade, ending Brocade’s existence as an independent public company.
- 2016
Brocade announces acquisition agreement with Broadcom[1]
M&A
Broadcom Limited announced an agreement to acquire Brocade for approximately $5.5 billion, subject to regulatory review and transaction conditions.
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