Press Releases

2010

Force10 Networks Unveils India Growth Strategy; Includes Doubling Investment and Workforce in Chennai by End Of 2010

Force10 marks its five-year anniversary in Chennai with plan to move to larger development facility

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 21, 2010 – Force10 Networks, Inc., the global technology leader that data center, service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business, today unveiled a growth strategy in India that includes a major expansion of its operations in Chennai. Force10 Networks India Pvt. Ltd. plans to double its annual operating expense and current workforce of 120 to more than 200 employees in engineering, customer support and related functions by the end of 2010. Moreover, Force10 will relocate to a state-of-the-art, 43,000-square-foot development lab and data center, increasing its current space by 22 percent and its lab space by up to 50 percent.

The expansion comes on the fifth anniversary of Force10’s India operations in which it has invested $16 million to establish a Chennai-based world-class research and development (R&D) team as an extension to its U.S. engineering operation. Today, the Chennai R&D team is the global center of competence for leading-edge core/switch product development, including software for Force10’s E-, S- and C-Series product lines and multi-protocol label switching (MPLS).

Also, the Chennai-based technical customer support (TAC) organization handles the majority of Force10’s “follow-the-sun” global customer support needs, operating 16 hours a day, seven days per week. 

“Our company’s expected trajectory of growth coupled with the significant intellectual property contributions made by our team here give us the confidence to invest more in India,” said Prakash Sripathy, vice president, India Operations for Force10 Networks, at a press conference here today. “We’re accelerating the build-out of the Chennai team as it plays a central role in developing our ever-growing product line. Knowing there is a deep pool of engineering and professional talent in Chennai, we look forward to attracting the type of employees that will help us to continue to advance our existing R&D and customer support operations here.”

New College Graduate Program Attracts Fresh Talent
As part of its earlier build-up effort, Force10 implemented a “New College Graduate Program” in 2007, targeting students in engineering and other disciplines at leading area universities, including the College of Engineering, Guindy, Madras Institute of Technology, and the IT Madras. Today, some 30 percent of the company’s Chennai workforce has been recruited through the program. Based on that success, the company is committed to furthering the program in order build a strong bridge into the local universities.

Additionally, another element of Force10’s growth strategy here is to explore partnerships with India-based tier-one consulting firms. Given the technology development needs the company has to broaden its product line, strategic partners are being evaluated to augment the skill sets of the Chennai team.

“Clearly India has proven to be a strong foundation for Force10’s growth to date,” said Ebrahim Abbasi, executive vice president, corporate business development, engineering and operations at Force10. “It makes good business sense for us to continue to invest in India to grow our footprint in terms of our workforce, development capability, strategic partnerships among customers and, lastly, consulting firms that can add value to our expanding product portfolio.” 

About Force10 Networks
Force10 Networks is a global technology leader that data center, service provider and enterprise customers rely on when the network is their business. The company’s high performance Ethernet switching and routing solutions virtualize and automate Ethernet networks to deliver new and distinct economic advantages by increasing network availability, agility and efficiency while reducing power and cooling costs. Force10 provides 24x7 service and support capabilities to its global customer base in more than 60 countries worldwide. For more information on Force10 Networks, please visit www.force10networks.com.

Contact:
Kevin Kimball
Force10 Networks Inc.
+1 408 571-3544
kkimball@force10networks.com

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