The announcement comes amidst speculation about the long-term prospects of the EMC-Dell partnership. In particular, Dell's US$1.4 billion acquisition of storage vendor EqualLogic, in November 2007, led some to wonder if the companies might go their separate ways in 2011 as Dell beefed up its own storage product line.

As part of the extended partnership, Dell will start selling EMC's storage systems.

Today's announcement aims to "remove any uncertainty" about the health of the Dell-EMC relationship and highlight a relationship where both companies anticipate continued growth, said Steve Leonard, a senior vice president at EMC and president of the storage vendor's Asian operations.

Leonard spoke during a joint interview in Singapore with Steve Felice, a senior vice president at Dell and president of the company's operations in Asia-Pacific.

The latest extension of the partnership builds on a 2006 announcement that saw Dell and EMC agree to continue working together until 2011. The partnership has now been extended until 2013, a move meant to reaffirm the strategic importance of the partnership to both companies and bring them closer together.