TRADEMARK USAGE GUIDANCE
Currently, VCE utilizes six trademarks to differentiate VCE offerings over those of our
competitors: VCE™, Vblock®, VCE Vision™, VCE Vision Ready™, VCE Validation
Ready™ and Vblock Ready™. We ask our partners to adhere to branding guidelines in
all their collateral. Provided below is guidance specific to each mark.
CONTENTS
I
Vblock
II
Vblock Systems: Long and Short Form Names
III
Vblock Systems Family
IV
Phasing Out Model Numbers
V
Vblock Specialized Systems
VI
Vblock Solutions
VII
VCE
VIII
VCE Vision
IX
VCE Vision Ready
X
VCE Validation Ready
XI
Vblock Ready
XII
Additional Guidance: Use of Investor Company Product Names
XIII
Differentiating Between Components Within Vblock Systems
XIV
Incorrect Uses
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
Trademarks are adjectives and therefore, to be used properly, must always modify a generic noun. They
may never be used as a noun or a verb.
I. Vblock
The first use of the mark in a document should be used with the approved, formal descriptor “Systems” in
the following form: Vblock® Systems. The use of “Vblock® System” is also acceptable, but try to use the
plural form more often, especially upon first mention in a document.
“System” or “Systems” should always appear with a capital S, to maintain brand consistency. Please do not
incorporate the Vblock® Systems logo into a document as text.
The terms “Vblock Infrastructure Platforms” and “Vblock Platforms” are no longer being used.
It is important to be precise, especially in light of VCE™ Support offerings. VCE Support encompasses the
system. It does not extend to applications running on or within the system.
Use of alternate descriptors:
In addition to Systems, “Vblock” is also paired with the following descriptors:
Vblock® Data Protection
Vblock® Desktop Virtualization System
Vblock® Systems Management
Vblock® Specialized System (see detailed use outlined below)
Vblock® Solution (see detailed use outlined below)
With each introduction of a new descriptor (and therefore, a new offering/program from VCE) in a single
document, it is the best practice to repeat the ® after “Vblock.”
If the name of a specific Vblock System (i.e. Vblock System 300) appears in body copy before the standard
“Vblock Systems,” it should employ a ® (e.g. Vblock® System 300). However, if “Vblock System 300” is
mentioned after “Vblock Systems” in text, it does not need the ® symbol. Note that the product name does
require a ® if it is mentioned after any descriptor other than “Systems” (e.g. if mentioned after Vblock® Data
Protection)
II. Vblock Systems: Long and Short Form Names
The phrase “Vblock® Systems” refers to the product lines listed below:
Vblock® System 700
Vblock® System 720
Vblock® System 300
Vblock® System 320
Vblock® System 340
Vblock® System 200
Vblock® System 100
The term “Series” in a product line is no longer being used.
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
The first use of the term should be the long form. Subsequently, you may use the short form. See table
below.
Long Form for First Use
Short Form for Subsequent Use
NEVER USE
Vblock® Systems
Vblock Systems, Vblock System
Vblocks
Vblock® System 700
Vblock 700
VB 700, 700
Vblock® System 720
Vblock 720
VB 720, 720
Vblock® System 300
Vblock 300
VB 300, 300
Vblock® System 320
Vblock 320
VB 320, 320
Vblock® System 200
Vblock 200
VB 200, 200
Vblock® System 100
Vblock 100
VB 100, 100
See the last page of this document for an extended list of incorrect uses.
III. Vblock Systems Family
When referring to the array of Vblock® Systems product lines, please use the term “Vblock® Systems
family”. Additionally, this term may be applied to a specific product line: “The Vblock® System 700 family has
expanded to include the Vblock Systems 720, which features…”
The “f” in “family” should not be capitalized, unless it appears as a headline. Please do not drop the
“Systems” descriptor, which shortens the term to “Vblock Family”. This abbreviation is out of brand.
IV. Phasing Out Model Numbers
As of Q1, 2013, VCE has moved away from defining “models” of Vblock Systems – for example, Vblock 700
LX, Vblock 300 EX, etc. We have expanded the capabilities of Vblock Systems so that each customer may
choose a line of Vblock Systems (Vblock System 700, Vblock System 300, Vblock System 100), and the
product they receive will be fully capable of a wide variety of configurations based on flexible compute,
network, and storage arrays, surpassing the limits of our previously categorized offerings.
If necessary, model numbers may still be used to describe or draw a parallel to a previously-sold Vblock
System, and, in that case, it is appropriate to follow the old naming convention, which appears in the
following example (and may be applied to all model numbers):
Long Form for First Use: Vblock® 700 model LX
Short Form for Subsequent Use: Vblock 700 LX
NEVER USE: VB700LX
Generally, please try to leave mentions of model numbers out of your writing, and instead stress the
unmatched flexibility, scalability, and potential of Vblock Systems which can be configured to match
customers’ workloads and budgets.
V. Vblock Specialized Systems
A Vblock® Specialized System brings together all of the necessary components for an application in order to
ensure maximum performance at scale. At this time, VCE offers:
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
Vblock® Specialized Systems for SAP HANA®
The first and formal name for this offering is Vblock® Specialized Systems for SAP HANA®. The registered
trademark symbols, ®, are to be used in the title and in the first mention of this product in the document.
Additionally, the first mention of this in text should add the descriptor “software”: Vblock® Specialized
Systems for SAP HANA® software. Subsequent mentions may see the trademark symbols removed, but
please do not abbreviate this product name in any manner.
Vblock® Specialized Systems for High Performance Databases
The first and formal name for this offering is Vblock® Specialized Systems for High Performance Databases.
The ® symbol is to be used in the title and in the first mention in the document. Subsequent mentions may
see the trademark symbols removed, but please do not abbreviate this product name in any manner.
Vblock® Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications
The first and formal name for this offering is Vblock® Specialized Systems for Extreme Applications. The ®
symbol is to be used in the title and in the first mention of the document. Subsequent mentions may see the
trademark symbols removed, but please do not abbreviate this product name in any manner.
VI. Vblock Solutions
When describing specific software applications that have been tested on Vblock® Systems, the
nomenclature must follow the exact convention: “Vblock® Solution for [Application Name].”
Examples:
Vblock® Solution for Hosted Collaboration
Vblock® Solution for Microsoft Exchange
Just as with “Systems,” the ® symbol must be used for any reference to Vblock® Solutions in the title of the
document and the first instance in the body of the document, except for the exceptions outlined in the first
section of this guidelines document. Inclusion of the symbol in subsequent uses is not required for use of the
SAME Vblock Solution. However, the introduction of a new Vblock® Solution for [Application Name] DOES
warrant another ® symbol after “Vblock.” Again, when both “Solution” and “Systems” exist in a single
document, it is the best practice to repeat the ® after “Vblock” for the first use of each descriptor.
VII. VCE
The most difficult aspect of the proper use of the trademark “VCE” is determining whether VCE is being
used as a trademark, or simply as the name of the company. These are two very different and distinctive
uses. Where the use is branding a product, service, program, or other offering of the company, VCE is being
used as a trademark. In this instance, the first use in a document must include the ™ trademark symbol. Our
tiered support offerings warrant the use of the trademark. However, if multiple support offerings appear on
one page, only the first use of the trademark must include the ™ symbol.
VCE™ Support

VCE Core Support

VCE Plus Support

VCE Premier Support
If the above list is presented together, as it is shown, the ™ would only be needed for the first mention.
When used as a trademark, VCE should NEVER be used in the possessive, as in “VCE’s Vblock Systems.”
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
Therefore, as a company name, you may write, “VCE’s employees won the game” – but you may not write
“VCE’s Vblock Systems.” You should also never write “VCE’s Support offerings,” even if you are trying to
make it look like an offering from a company name.
VIII. VCE Vision™
The appropriate first mention of VCE Vision software, or any of its elements, is VCE Vision™ Intelligent
Operations. Upon subsequent uses, this may be shortened to VCE Vision software. The first mention of the
subsequent use carries the TM as in VCE Vision™ software. We do not own the trademark to the term
“Vision,” so please be sure to demonstrate VCE ownership by preceding it with our company’s brand name.
NEVER use “Vision OS/VCE Vision OS”, “Vision IO/VCE Vision IO,” “Vision IOS/VCE Vision IOS”, “VVIO,”
“GAGA,” or any other pre-release code names to describe anything related to VCE Vision software. VCE
Vision Intelligent Operations is a suite name, which applies to all of its composing elements. No element
should be mentioned in a document without a preceding mention of the full suite name. With the introduction
of a new element, the trademark “VCE Vision™” should be repeated, with the trademark sign included.
Upon first mention of any of these elements, please use this format:
VCE Vision™ System Library
VCE Vision™ Plug-in for VMware vCenter
VCE Vision™ Services Library
VCE Vision™ SDK
VCE Vision™ Management Infrastructure
VCE Vision™ Compliance Checker (could be part of System or Services Library)
VCE Vision™ API for ______ (part of System Library)
VCE Vision™ Automation Activator (part of Services Library)
For subsequent mentions, “VCE Vision” can be dropped from the element name. Please maintain
consistency through first-letter capitalization, even in subsequent mentions.
Example subsequent mentions: the System Library, the Management Infrastructure, and the
AutomationActivator
IX. VCE Vision Ready™
The VCE Vision Ready trademark and VCE Vision Ready logo are used to designate commercial software that
has been certified to communicate through VCE Vision™ APIs with VCE Vision™ Intelligent Operations to
view Vblock® Systems as a converged infrastructure.
The phrase is always capitalized, and the ™ is included after the word, “Ready.” Use of this term in
conjunction with a Partner’s product is authorized only after the Partner has been certified as part of the
Technology Alliance Partner Program (TAP Program). For information on the TAP Program, see
http://www.vce.com/partners/type/technology-alliance-partners
Note: VCE partners must use logos obtained directly from VCE. Use of such logos must adhere to the VCE
Partner Logo and Design Guidelines.
X. VCE Validation Ready™
VCE Validation Ready trademark and the VCE Validation Ready logo are used to designate commercial
software vendors’ products that have been integrated and tested with VCE technologies (including VCE
Vision™ adapters) as part of the VCE Validation Ready test bed.
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
The phrase is trademarked so it is always capitalized, and the TM is after the word “Ready.” Use of this term
in conjunction with a Partner’s product may be used only after the Partner has been certified as part of the
Technology Alliance Partner Program (TAP Program). For information on the TAP Program, see
http://www.vce.com/partners/type/technology-alliance-partners. For information on the VCE Validation Ready™
Program see http://www.vce.com/partners/type/technology-alliance-partners/validation
Note: VCE partners must use logos obtained directly from VCE. Use of such logos must adhere to the VCE
Partner Logo and Design Guidelines.
XI. Vblock Ready™
Vblock Ready trademark and the Vblock Ready logo are used to designate commercial hardware and
software vendors whose products have been integrated with VCE technologies to deliver added value to the
customer. The two-word phrase is trademarked so it is always capitalized, and the TM is after the word
“Ready”. Use of this term in conjunction with a Partner’s product may be used only after the Partner has
been certified as part of the Technology Alliance Partner Program (TAP Program). For information on the
TAP Program, see http://www.vce.com/partners/type/technology-alliance-partners
Note: VCE partners may use logos obtained directly from VCE. Use of such logos must adhere to the Partner
Logo and Design Guidelines.
XII. Additional Guidance: Use of Investor Company Product Names
When referencing investor company products, it is important to respect the trademarks of the investor
companies. To do this, use the full, formal name of a product upon its first mention, preceded by the
company that owns it. It is not necessary to use the TM.
Correct First Use
Incorrect First Use
Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) B200 M2 Blade Server
UCS B200 M2
Cisco Nexus 7000 Series Switches
Nexus 7000
EMC Symmetrix VMAX 20K
VMAX 20K
EMC Unified Infrastructure Manager/Provisioning (UIM/P)
UIM/P
VMware vCenter Operations Manager
vCOPs
VMware vSphere ESXi
ESXi
As with VCE products, subsequent uses may be presented in an approved short form. For references, or if
there is any confusion to the proper way to name a product, please explore the investor company product
websites.
http://www.cisco.com/web/siteassets/legal/trademark.html
http://www.emc.com/legal/emc-corporation-trademarks.htm
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
http://www.vmware.com/help/usage.html
XIII. Differentiating Between Components Within Vblock Systems
When, in a document such as a BOM, Deployment Guide, or reference architecture, there is a need to
differentiate between the types of Vblock Systems (for example, “the Vblock System that has the Cisco UCS
BSeries” or “the Vblock System that has the EMC Symmetrix”), apply the naming convention described
below, using the term “enabled by” to show the relationship between components and systems.
The components should be listed in a specific order, based on their investor company of origin (Cisco, then
EMC, then VMware).
Example 1:
Vblock 720 enabled by Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) B-Series, EMC Symmetrix, and VMware
vSphere 5.
Example 2:
Vblock 320 enabled by Cisco UCS B-Series, EMC VNX, and VMware vSphere 5.
Example 3:
Vblock 100 enabled by Cisco UCS B-220, EMC VNXe, and VMware vSphere 5.
Please note that the above examples are not to be used as information about configurations, as these may
change. They are intended only to convey the order in which components are to be listed.
Please do not incorporate investor logos into documents as text.
XIV Incorrect Uses
The following is a sampling of incorrect uses, just in case you happen to notice one in a document.


















Vblock Infrastructure Platforms
Vblock platforms
Virtual Systems
Virtual Infrastructure System
Vblock Infrastructure System
Vblock Converged Infrastructure System
VS (as an acronym for Vblock Systems)
Vblocks
V-blocks
vBlock
Vblock’s
Vblock types (Vblock Systems are not to be referred to as types)
VBLOCK (all uppercase) – only exception is the all-caps titles and headers of documents, and the official
Vblock Systems iconic graphic
VCE’s Vblock
VCE’s Vblock Systems
VCE Systems
V/C/E
If you have any questions, please send an email to vcebrand@vce.com.
ABOUT VCE
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.
VCE, formed by Cisco and EMC with investments from VMware and Intel, accelerates the adoption of
converged infrastructure and cloud-based computing models that dramatically reduce the cost of IT while
improving time to market for our customers. VCE, through the Vblock Systems, delivers the industry's
only fully integrated and fully virtualized cloud infrastructure system. VCE solutions are available
through an extensive partner network, and cover horizontal applications, vertical industry offerings, and
application development environments, allowing customers to focus on business innovation instead of
integrating, validating, and managing IT infrastructure.
For more information, go to vce.com.
Copyright © 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved. VCE, VCE Vision, Vblock, and the VCE logo are registered trademarks or trademarks
of VCE Company LLC or its affiliates in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their
respective owners.
© 2014 VCE Company, LLC. All rights reserved.