Tucci said EMC would also prove the be a better suitor of Data Domain because it has a history of treating its acquisitions better by retaining the talent and keeping products as separate. If EMC were to buy out Data Domain, it would more than likely eventually run it under the same business division as its Avamar product line, Tucci said.

"It would make sense over time to have the two [products] work together with a sales force focused on the content and archiving space," he said. "That's how we'll put this together."

EMC is offering all cash for Data Domain. NetApp's offer was a cash and stock deal.