Investing in Japan
Investment News
Sep. 10, 2009
Leading US Next Generation Ethernet Solution Firm, BLADE Network Technologies, Establishes Japan Arm
US-based BLADE Network Technologies
(BLADE), a leading provider of networking solutions for blade server(*1) environments, established BLADE Network K.K. in Japan, its first overseas office, in Tokyo. The company was spun off from Nortel, a major Canadian communication equipment manufacturer, and now holds around a 40% share in the global market for blade server switches.
The firm first opened a Japan office in 2008, but later decided to upgrade it to a wholly-owned subsidiary, in response to increasing demand in Japan for network virtualization(*2) and 10G Ethernet technology, as well as to better serve its clients in the country.
Blade servers have become an indispensable part of "cloud computing(*3)," a growing trend in the IT industry. One of the firm's core products is "RackSwitch", the first converged networking switch for rack-level server virtualization in the industry. It allows for efficient switching between physical and virtual servers in a single rack and external networks, and saves energy through rack-friendly cooling.
The market for 10G Ethernet is predicted to increase tenfold over the next five years. And by introducing the firm's products into data centers in Japan, BLADE hopes to cater to this growing demand in the country and boost its business performance and product lineup.
BLADE made use of support and services offered by JETRO's Invest Japan Business Support Center (IBSC) in Tokyo to establish its subsidiary, including free temporary office space, consultation with expert advisors and use of IBSC venues for press conferences.
(*1) Refers to a server with thin platforms called "Blades," which contain CPUs, memory and hard drives, etc. Blades are able to populate a server freely and decrease physical space by sharing power supply, cooling fan, exhaust, etc.
(*2) Virtualization means making a single physical resource (such as a server, an operating system, an application, or storage device) appear to function as multiple resources; it can also include making multiple physical resources appear as a single resource.
(*3) Type of computing in which users access services/resources via the Internet without having to use certain software or access specific servers. Given the virtual nature of cloud computing, users can access resources without being concerned with the location of such resources.
IBSCs are located in Japan's major business hubs (Tokyo, Yokohama, Nagoya, Osaka, Kobe and Fukuoka) and provide one-stop support and service to foreign firms seeking to set up or expand business in Japan. The centers, which provide free temporary office space, consultation with expert advisors and access to a wealth of business information, tailor support according to the specific needs and phase of development of each firm.
