Features - Storage Innovations:

LightSand AND StoreAge TEAM UP TO COVER THE DISTANCE

LightSand Communications, a pioneering developer of High Performance Wide Area Storage Networks and StoreAge Networking Technologies, an innovator in enterprise SAN storage management, have announced a partnership that provides customers with high-speed wide area data movement between multi-vendor storage devices. The combined solution provides a vendor-neutral approach that enables customers to centrally manage the replication, migration, consolidation and backup of data across unlike storage devices in geographically separate locations.

StoreAge's SVM (Storage Virtualization Manager) is an out-of-the-data-path (asymmetric) SAN appliance that provides virtual volume management and uniform data replication services across all storage within a SAN. The LightSand S-600 and S-2500 Storage Extension Gateways allow organizations to move data as fast as 2.5 gigabits per second for thousands of kilometers, providing a high-throughput long-distance platform that can extend full SAN fabric services and applications to remote locations. Together, the two products enable customers to rapidly move data between different brands of storage devices over extended distances, effectively "breaking the barriers" that have traditionally prevented data movement between unlike devices. Capabilities of the combined solution include replicating and migrating data between multiple data centers, remote vaulting of data to tape libraries, rapid distribution of content to multiple locations, and consolidating data from multiple branch offices to a central data center.

"When we attach our SVM to LightSand's Storage Extension Gateways we can provide uniform data replication and management services across multiple data centers," said Mark Spowart, president of StoreAge. "The resulting combination enables our customers to manage their storage resources without regard to device type or physical location, and allows a single team of storage professionals to coordinate and optimize all of the storage resources for a geographically dispersed organization."

"By partnering with StoreAge, we enable customers to rapidly move data across extended distances for a wide variety of business purposes," said Philip Black, CEO of LightSand. "This is another example of LightSand's ability to extend storage area networking functions beyond the traditional limits of single-site SAN implementations." Both the StoreAge SVM and the LightSand S-600 and S-2500 products are available now. For additional information, please visit the StoreAge Web site at www.storeage.com or the LightSand Communications Web site at www.lightsand.com.

About LightSand Communications

LightSand Communications develops High Performance Wide Area Storage Networking equipment that is optimized for moving massive amounts of data over distance. The company's first products are switching gateways that interconnect SAN islands using readily available SONET infrastructure. With these SAN extensions, organizations can ensure business continuity through remotely replicated data, move large amounts of information across the organization and centralize storage management. LightSand is a privately held company with headquarters in Milpitas, California.

About StoreAge Networking Technologies

StoreAge Networking Technologies is a privately held company founded in 1999 as a spin-off from IIS Intelligent Information Systems and since then obtained over $28 million of equity investment from major strategic as well as leading financial groups. The Company has offices in Irvine, CA and Nesher, Israel, as well as strategic partners in several European and Far East countries. StoreAge develops and provides innovative storage management software with a focus on Storage Area Network (SAN) architecture. StoreAge is a technology leader in storage virtualization using an Asymmetric design implemented through a SAN appliance approach. The Company seeks to increase and expand its cooperation with major OEM partners, storage systems integrators and storage service providers to deliver advanced storage solutions to the enterprise market. StoreAge is a member of both the US and the European Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and of SNIA's IP Storage Forum. For additional information, visit StoreAge's Web site at www.store-age.com.

Contact: Gregg Pugmire of LightSand Communications, 408-404-3165, greggp@lightsand.com.