POUGHKEEPSIE, NY--(Marketwired - May 19, 2015) - Marist College today announced it selected Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) and IBM (NYSE: IBM) to help prepare its students for careers in computer networking by providing them training on networking technologies ideally suited to cloud computing.

Through the collaboration Marist will introduce software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) technologies in the Marist College SDN Lab, two cutting-edge networking architectures optimal for cloud computing that virtualize different networking functions to lower costs and enable new features.

"Partnering with Brocade and IBM gives students an unprecedented opportunity to conduct research and learn how the rise of cloud computing is changing what is happening on the network," said Robert Cannistra, Senior Professional Lecturer of Computer Science and Information Technology, New York's Marist College. "The network is critical to the cloud. We are ensuring the proficiency of students by providing them access to the latest networking technology skills due to the rise of cloud models, and at the same time, are advancing our program as a center of technological innovation."

Due to the increase in mobile devices and the content they serve up, network architects, network specialists and network administrators are the fastest growing professions. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the network administrator profession alone is expected to grow 12 percent by 2022. By helping students build proficiency across networking solutions from multiple vendors and an understanding of the shift from hardware to software-based networking, Brocade and IBM will help ensure that computer science students are prepared to capitalize on this opportunity.

"As our clients in the telecommunications industry embrace cloud computing, they are looking to adopt SDN and NFV technologies to lower their networking costs, improve agility, and offer differentiated services to their customers. By training Marist students on the latest in networking and architectures, we will help provide a strong career path," said Marisa Viveros, vice president, Global Telecommunications Industry, IBM. "This collaboration between Brocade, Marist and IBM also exemplifies the unlimited possibilities of cloud computing and the importance of the development of students on cutting-edge technology."

Under the terms of the agreement, IBM is supplying IBM Cloud Orchestrator to teach students how to coordinate tasks in the cloud across teams, tools and environments. Students will learn to accelerate IT and network service delivery by automating deployment and lifecycle management of various workloads with an easy-to-use interface. The Brocade® Vyatta® 5400 vRouter helps students to build sophisticated, multi-tier networks within virtualized environments by adding, configuring, and moving network services on demand. Students using IBM Cloud Orchestrator and the Brocade Vyatta vRouter will graduate with the expertise necessary to solve complex IT and network cloud issues.

"As a leader in the era of New IP networking, Brocade is honored to be involved with such an exciting initiative at Marist College," said Kelly Herrell, senior vice president and general manager, Software Networking, Brocade. "In addition, Brocade is delighted to be working with IBM to deliver a robust portfolio of services and solutions that meet the demands of today's service providers."

About Marist
 Marist College, recognized for excellence by The Princeton Review, U.S. News & World Report, Kiplinger's Personal Finance, and Entrepreneur, is a highly-selective comprehensive liberal arts institution noted for its leadership in the use of technology in and out of the classroom. Founded in 1929, Marist overlooks the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie, New York, midway between New York City and Albany, the state capital. Marist is ecumenical in character and reflects the ideals of the founder of the Marist Brothers, St. Marcellin Champagnat: commitment to excellence in education, a pursuit of higher human values, and dedication to the principle of service. Marist is dedicated to helping students develop the intellect and character required for enlightened, ethical, and productive lives in the global community of the 21st century. Marist educates 4,700 traditional-age undergraduate students and over 1,400 adult and graduate students in 44 undergraduate majors and 12 graduate programs, including fully online MBA, MPA, MS, and MA degrees. In partnership with Istituto Lorenzo de' Medici, Marist also educates over 500 students annually at the College's branch campus located in Florence, Italy.

About Brocade
 Brocade (NASDAQ: BRCD) networking solutions help the world's leading organizations transition smoothly to a world where applications and information reside anywhere. (www.brocade.com)

About IBM Cloud Computing
 IBM is the global leader in open enterprise cloud enabling secure data and infrastructure integration in the cloud. For more information about cloud offerings from IBM, visit www.ibm.com/cloud. Follow us on Twitter at @IBMcloud and on our blog at www.thoughtsoncloud.com. Join the conversation #ibmcloud.