QLogic Corp., a leader in networking for storage and high performance computing, today announced that its end-to-end storage networking solutions have been selected by Microsoft to be used at Microsoft Technology Centers (MTCs) throughout North America. Microsoft Technology Centers in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Reston, Silicon Valley and worldwide provide everything enterprise customers need -- technology experts, industry leaders, and an outstanding environment -- to evaluate customized technology solutions from Microsoft, QLogic and other companies before deployment in their own environments.

"Participation from QLogic, with its broad range of storage networking solutions, is a critical component to the success of our Microsoft Technology Centers," John Mathieu, Director MTC Global Alliance. "Now customers can 'try before they buy' and prove out storage networking solutions based on Microsoft, QLogic and technologies from other leading vendors. This hands-on approach with in-person access to our technology experts allows enterprises to make the right IT decisions and reduce business risks."

Microsoft Technology Centers are staffed by some of Microsoft's most experienced employees and contain the latest hardware and software systems available for organizations considering technology investments. MTCs provide strategy briefings, architecture design sessions and proof-of-concept workshops. MTCs provide uniquely tailored environments for each offering: Envisioning Center, Architecture Design rooms, and Development Suites.

"The Microsoft Technology Centers allow us to work face-to-face with customers to optimize their storage networking solutions," said Frank Berry, vice president of marketing, QLogic Corp. "The availability of QLogic(r) storage networking products in Microsoft Technology Centers is another example of QLogic and Microsoft teaming up to make storage networking easier and more beneficial for businesses of all sizes."

From the largest enterprise datacenter to the smallest home business, QLogic offers SAN connectivity solutions to meet the needs of any IT environment. Each SANbox(r) switch comes with all the management tools required to easily connect servers to storage, maximizing the return on server and storage investments. QLogic SANblade(r) Fibre Channel HBAs, the market share leader, offer best-in-class SAN performance and functionality. QLogic switches and HBAs can be set up by technical generalists within minutes with wizards and auto-configuration tools that automate the entire installation and management process.