Storage:

BlueArc/Syncsort Announce Certification of Si7500

BlueArc Corporation, provider of the world's highest performance enterprise-class network storage systems, and Syncsort, a leader in enterprise backup and restore solutions, announced that BlueArc's Si7500 Storage System has been certified to support Syncsort's Backup Express. Together, BlueArc and Syncsort provide customers a network attached storage (NAS) system with a backup and recovery solution using the standard Network Data Management Protocol (NDMP). BlueArc customers using Backup Express are given complete control of backup and restore, including the ability for users to restore their own files without administrative intervention.

Syncsort's Backup Express is an enterprise-wide backup and restore solution that supports NAS, NDMP, storage area networks (SAN) and other network configurations. Its distributed architecture allows it to back up to any device in the network, whether it is running UNIX, Windows, or NetWare, while maintaining one centralized catalog for the entire enterprise. Backup Express can cluster tape drives, including large automated libraries, at any server on the enterprise; dynamically allocate drives within a SAN; provide four different backup options for NDMP-based systems; keep sensitive data off the network; and allow online backups of large database servers such as Oracle, SAP, MS Exchange, SQL Server, Sybase, DB2, Informix and Lotus Notes.

BlueArc's Si7500 Storage System offers a high-performance, highly scalable network storage solution for enterprise customers. After rigorous testing, BlueArc's product met all requirements and is authorized as an interoperable solution for mutual customers.

"BlueArc's SiliconServer Architecture delivers superior I/O processing, which in turn delivers faster backup and restore, providing a tremendous advantage to customers," said Winston W. Hait, senior product manager at Syncsort. "We are pleased to underscore and extend the benefits BlueArc customers receive by providing them with the industry's widest backup coverage for NDMP devices."

"Our customers want performance. The SiliconServer architecture accelerates I/O and functions such as NDMP, to provide customers with backup and restore performance when they need it most," said Jeff Allen, senior vice president of marketing, strategy and business development at BlueArc. "We are committed to compatibility and certification with Syncsort's Backup Express to ensure our systems maximize performance and fit seamlessly into our customers' storage networking environments."

About BlueArc

BlueArc Corporation delivers the world's highest-performance and most scalable enterprise-class network attached storage (NAS) system. BlueArc's systems are designed to simplify the way enterprise customers design and build their storage infrastructures, allowing them to fully exploit their networks while dramatically lowering their total cost of ownership. BlueArc is able to provide products with groundbreaking speed, scalability and low total cost-of-ownership as a result of its unique SiliconServer architecture. This revolutionary technology removes the bottlenecks that limit performance in other NAS systems on the market today. The company's headquarters are in San Jose, California with UK operations based in Bracknell, England. More information on BlueArc is available on the Internet at www.bluearc.com.

About Syncsort

Syncsort Incorporated is a leading developer of high-performance data warehousing software for mainframe, UNIX, and Windows environments. For more than 30 years, Syncsort has built a reputation for superior product performance and reliable technical support. An independent market research firm has named Syncsort as one of the top Data Warehouse 100 Vendors for three years in a row. Over 95 percent of the Fortune 100 companies are Syncsort customers, and Syncsort's products are used in more than 50 countries to back up and protect data in distributed environments, speed data warehouse processing, improve database loads and speed query processing. For more information, visit the Syncsort Web site at www.syncsort.com.

Contact BlueArc Corporation, Jim Schaff, 408-576-6682, jschaff@bluearc.com.