EMC Still Has Eyes for Data Domain

EMC(EMC Quote) has no intention of giving up on storage specialist Data Domain, which recently agreed to merge with EMC rival NetApp(NTAP Quote). With NetApp waiting on Data Domain shareholders to approve the deal, EMC CEO Joe Tucci still has his eye on the de-duplication company.

NetApp recently claimed victory in the race to acquire Data Domain, clinching a $1.9 billion cash and stock deal with the Data Domain board. Undeterred, however, EMC CEO Tucci has launched a charm offensive aimed at the firm's 800-plus employees.

In an open letter published early Tuesday, Tucci sells EMC as the best fit for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based firm and its workforce.

"We believe that bringing Data Domain into the EMC family would be the best way for you to continue building your careers and accelerating the success you've already achieved in the marketplace," he wrote.

The CEO goes on to promise Data Domain's employees a "great and exciting" future if they become part of EMC, pointing to previous acquisitions that include security giant RSA and virtualization trailblazer VMware(VMW Quote). Over the past six years, EMC has acquired 11 companies in Silicon Valley alone and has 6,000 employees in the area, according to Tucci.

"We are very mindful of culture-respecting and preserving the various cultures that made the companies we acquired successful in the first place," he added. "Our plan is to keep the people and products of Data Domain intact and operate your company as a product division within EMC."