CROC has become the first company in Russia and the CIS to receive EMC Service Provider status from EMC Corporation.

EMC Corporation Russia has signed an agreement with CROC, the leading Russian systems integrator. As a result, CROC has become the first company in Russia and the CIS to receive EMC Service Provider status from EMC Corporation.

In May 2011, EMC launched the EMC Velocity Service Provider Partner Program with completely new mechanisms for vendor interactions with its partners worldwide. The program focuses on close collaboration between EMC and its partners in order to provide customers with advanced technological solutions for building, upgrading and effectively managing private and public cloud infrastructures. From a technology point of view, this collaboration is based on EMC’s know-how ‘hybrid cloud computing’ concept, which provides greater flexibility when choosing an optimal solution for each particular customer subject to its existing infrastructure: from legacy corporate networks to fully virtualized infrastructures.

EMC and CROC pay special attention to the reliability and security of corporate business processes within the cloud environment and to the customer’s interest in cost optimization.

The suggested approach also allows for a variety of cloud hosting options—from installing the software and hardware system at the customer’s site to the complete outsourcing of hardware and all information systems to the service provider’s site.

Under the partnership agreement, EMC will provide CROC with consulting services regarding the creation of hybrid cloud infrastructure based on EMC technologies. EMC will utilize proven strategies and global partner expertise in project implementation. In addition, EMC will provide CROC with access to a benchmarking database of carefully tested and recommended cloud architectures.

CROC is a leader in IT infrastructure design and implementation and the number one systems integration service provider in Russia (IDC reports, 2002-2011). CROC is one of the key EMC partners, and the fact that it has attained the highest Velocity Signature Solution Centre Partner status proves its expertise in high-performance storage implementation. Since 2009, CROC has been running the EMC Competence Center, which was recognized as the best EMC Competence Center in Central Europe according to 2010 results. CROC implemented a number of large IT projects based on EMC technology, including those for Bank Home Credit, NPO Saturn and MDM Bank.

Sergey Karpov, General Manager, EMC Russia and CIS: “The IT market is very competitive and its players compete in different sectors, including cloud computing. We believe that the competition will be won by a company which offers mechanisms for balanced and effective collaboration between the technology vendor and provider and the service provider and end user. EMC’s mission is to make sure that its best partners worldwide have flexible and convenient tools to create cloud infrastructures which are fully adapted to meet customers’ business needs. CROC is a longstanding and reliable partner of EMC Corporation and the key player in the Russian IT market. We hope that the new partnership between EMC and CROC will open new opportunities for the Russian market and promote the advanced use of the latest information technology.”

Boris Bobrovnikov, Director General, CROC: “Today’s and tomorrow’s IT is first of all a ‘service’, in all senses. We absolutely believe that this is true and our agreement with EMC reflects this outlook. We consider EMC’s technology to be optimal for the creation of such a comprehensive solution, which allows all our customers to quickly benefit from the cloud system, scale-up the functionality of their IT systems and optimize IT costs.”