The QLogic 8Gb Fibre Channel Expansion Card (CIOv) for IBM BladeCenter enables high-speed access for IBM blade servers to connect to a Fibre Channel storage area network (SAN). When compared to the previous-generation 4 Gb adapters, the new adapter doubles the throughput speeds for Fibre Channel traffic. As a result, you can manage increased amounts of data and possibly benefit from a reduced hardware expense. For example, in bandwidth constrained Microsoft Exchange environments, by using 8 Gb adapters and switches, you can deploy 68% less adapter and switch hardware to support the same number of users as 4 Gb adapters.