Features - Enterprise Data Insights:

END TO STANDARDS WAR -- 2003?

In a move that underscores the importance of open storage management standards, and to address storage customers' needs for a lower total cost of ownership, Storage Network Industry Association (SNIA) members Hitachi Ltd and Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, International Business Machines Corporation, Sun Microsystems Inc, and VERITAS Software Corporation have announced a new effort dedicated to the promotion and progress of SNIA's Common Information Model (CIM), Web-Based Enterprise Management (WBEM) technology and Storage Management Initiative (SMI) specifications (formerly Bluefin) for Storage Area Network (SAN)-based storage management.

As part of this effort, the companies are also announcing their individual plans to roll out CIM/WBEM-based products in calendar year 2003. CIM/WBEM has been endorsed by SNIA as the technology to help enable simplified multi-vendor management of storage networks. Hitachi Data Systems, IBM, Sun and VERITAS are active members of SNIA and contributed to drafting the SNIA-adopted Bluefin/SMI specifications. These specifications define how CIM technology is used to manage storage environments.

Companies participating in the effort, which is open to all storage vendors, are publicly demonstrating their commitment to deploy open storage networks. The companies are also actively encouraging all other storage vendors to join them in supporting CIM/WBEM standards.

Participating companies would be expected to:

• Ship CIM/WBEM based storage management software commercially in calendar year 2003.
• Support the emerging SMI specifications endorsed by SNIA.
• Make their CIM Providers (SMI Agents) available to others for testing.
• Conduct joint interoperability testing and qualifications.
• Support the CIM/WBEM interface as specified by SNIA's Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF).

"Storage customers want management solutions that lower TCO, open the door to heterogeneous solutions and are standards based," said Brad Stamas, chairman of SNIA. "The SNIA recognizes the importance of CIM/WBEM standards in building and achieving open, interoperable storage management, and believes that this announcement will accelerate development and acknowledgment of CIM/WBEM standards-based solutions in the industry."

Planned Delivery Roll Out

• Hitachi's HiCommand Management Framework and suite of software products, announced in May 2002, is expected to ship with its first CIM compliant features and modules by the end of this quarter, and continue to ship with expanded features through 2003.
• IBM has plans to ship new CIM-enabled disk storage products during the first half of 2003. IBM also has plans to CIM enable their Tivoli Software storage products and ship new CIM-enabled products during the first half of 2003. IBM Tivoli Storage software has already demonstrated capability to manage the CIM enabled hardware through the CIM interface.
• In August 2002, Sun Microsystems shipped its CIM compliant Sun StorEdge Enterprise Storage Manager and is committing to enhance and expand ESM's CIM compliance, and introduce CIM providers for more of its hardware products, during the first half of 2003.
• VERITAS is expected to CIM enable its VERITAS Adaptive Software Architecture through 2003 via the VERITAS Enabled program. Heterogeneous products such as VERITAS SANPoint Control and VERITAS Volume Manager will be among the first deliverables.

"There is growing concern among storage customers surrounding depth of integration, timeliness to market, and costs involved with API swapping," said Steve Kenniston, analyst with the Enterprise Storage Group. "Industry efforts that comply with, and support SNIA and SMI specifications are going to be embraced by storage customers."

"Industry standards promise to simplify the interoperability of storage area networks that are part of our data center operations," said Joe Aultman, Technical Director of Enterprise Storage, BellSouth. "The commitment to deliver standards-based storage products expressed today by these industry leaders has increased our confidence in deploying solutions based on the new standards."

Hitachi, IBM, Sun and VERITAS are also expected to participate in SNIA's CIM-SAN 1 demonstration at the October Storage Networking World (SNW) conference in Orlando, FL, October 27-30. The CIM-SAN-1 demonstration is expected to showcase the first interoperable and open environment for storage area management based on CIM and WBEM.

About Hitachi Ltd

Hitachi Ltd, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 320,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2001 (ended March 31, 2002) consolidated sales total 7,994 billion yen ($60.1 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devised, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Website at global.hitachi.com/.

About Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems is committed to enabling organizations worldwide exploit the full potential of information. By following and deploying our TrueNorth strategy, we provide customers with a broad range of storage solutions to simplify, protect and optimize their information infrastructures. Our offerings include enterprise and modular storage systems and software, professional services, fully complemented by best-of-breed products through industry alliances.

With 2,700 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct sales and resellers in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries on six continents. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit our Website at www.hds.com.

About International Business Machines Corporation

IBM develops and manufactures the industry's most advanced information technologies, including computer systems, software, networking systems, storage devices and microelectronics. IBM Storage Systems Group and IBM Tivoli Software offers customers worldwide the most comprehensive range of storage products available today. These storage solutions are offered through IBM as well as a large network of IBM Business Partners. For more information, visit www.ibm.com/totalstorage or www.tivoli.com/storage.

About Sun Microsystems Inc

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems Inc to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at sun.com.

About VERITAS Software Corporation

VERITAS Software Corporation is one of the world's leading storage software companies, providing data protection, storage management, high availability and disaster recovery software to 86 percent of the Fortune 500. All VERITAS software is open, supporting all significant business applications, operating systems and storage hardware. This flexibility is a result of the underlying VERITAS Adaptive Software Architecture. Find VERITAS on the Web at www.veritas.com.

CONTACT: Jodi Reinman, Hitachi Data Systems, 408-970-1050, Jodi.reinman@hds.com.