Emulex
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Founded | 1978 |
| Founder | Fred B. Cox |
| Defunct | 2015 |
| Fate | Acquired by Avago Technologies |
| Headquarters | Costa Mesa, California , United States |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Products | Hardware and software solutions for network connectivity, monitoring, and management; input/output connectivity including Ethernet and Fibre Channel technologies |
Number of employees | 1200+ (2013) |
| Parent | Avago Technologies (from 2015) |
Emulex Corporation was a U.S.-based computer hardware firm operating from 1978 until 2015, specializing in hardware and software solutions for network connectivity, monitoring, and management. Its input/output connectivity offerings, which encompassed Ethernet and Fibre Channel technologies, were incorporated into server and storage products from original equipment manufacturers such as Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, Huawei, IBM, NetApp, and Oracle. In 2015, Emulex became part of Avago Technologies through acquisition.
1979–1999
Established in 1978 by Fred B. Cox to supply data storage and communication equipment for the computing sector, Emulex initially focused on supporting Digital Equipment Corporation’s VAX and PDP-11 platforms. By 1983, the company’s portfolio included disk controllers, communication controllers, and tape controllers.
One notable early achievement was the Performance series of cost-effective terminal servers. Introduced in August 1988, the Performance 4000 (P4000) was the first non-DEC terminal server compatible with Digital Equipment Corporation’s Local Area Transport protocol. This compact unit rapidly gained profitability by fulfilling the demand for economical access to DEC VAX servers. The P4000 was designed with a fixed capacity of 16 ports and included an LCD display for status monitoring.
In 1992, Emulex divested its disk controller division to form QLogic, thereby concentrating its operations more specifically on network connectivity products.
2000 to present
Based in Costa Mesa, California, Emulex had a workforce exceeding 1,200 employees as of 2013. The company broadened its market reach by acquiring Giganet for $645 million in 2000 and later purchasing New Zealand-based Endace in 2013. On April 21, 2009, Broadcom launched an unsolicited offer to buy Emulex for $764 million ($9.25 per share), representing a 40% premium over the prevailing stock price. After Emulex’s board declined this proposal, Broadcom increased the bid to $11 per share—valuing the firm at $925 million—which was also rejected. Ultimately, Broadcom withdrew its acquisition attempt.
In February 2015, Avago Technologies Limited, a spin-off from Hewlett-Packard, announced a cash purchase agreement to acquire Emulex at $8 per share. Subsequently, Avago merged with Broadcom in May 2015, adopting the Broadcom name and significantly enhancing its global footprint and product offerings.