Editing EMC Symmetrix (section)

== History ==
Symmetrix arrays, EMC's flagship product at that time, began shipping in 1990 as a storage array connected to an [[IBM mainframe]] via the [[IBM System/360#Block multiplexer channel|block multiplexer channel]]. Newer generations of Symmetrix brought additional host connection protocols which include [[ESCON]], [[SCSI]], [[Fibre Channel]]-based [[storage area network]]s (SANs), [[FICON]] and [[iSCSI]]. The Symmetrix product was initially popular within the airline industry and with companies that were willing to deviate from the safety of IBM's [[History of IBM magnetic disk drives#IBM 3390|3390 disk subsystem]] and take a risk with the unproven Symmetrix array.

This product is the main reason for the rapid growth of EMC in the 1990s, both in size and value, from a company valued hundreds of millions of dollars to a multi-billion company.<ref>EMC Company Web site, July 19, 2000 [http://www.emc.com/about/news/press/us/earnings/20000719-469.htm "EMC Reports 43% Growth in Storage Revenue, First $2 Billion Quarter"] Retrieved October 24, 2010.</ref> [[Moshe Yanai]] managed the Symmetrix development from the product's inception in 1987 until shortly before leaving EMC in 2001,<ref>{{Cite news |title= EMC Strengthens Operational Alignment |work= Press release |publisher= EMC |date= November 29, 2001|url= http://www.emc.com/about/news/press/us/2001/20011129-1164.htm |accessdate= September 26, 2013 }}</ref> and his Symmetrix development team grew from several people to thousands.

=== Symmetrix VMAX ===
EMC Symmetrix VMAX systems are storage platforms intended for open systems and mainframe computing. Symmetrix VMAX systems run the Enginuity operating environment.