Features - Storage Innovations:

HDS TO DELIVER SAN DIRECTOR SWITCHES WITH BROCADE FABRIC OS

Brocade Communications Systems Inc (Brocade), a leading provider of infrastructure for Storage Area Networks (SANs), and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd and a leader in the enterprise storage market, announced that new features for the SilkWorm 12000 Director -- enabled through enhancements to the Brocade Fabric Operating System (Fabric OS) software -- are available worldwide, except in Japan, through Hitachi Data Systems.

These enhancements deliver the essential requirements for Director-class SAN switches -- including fabric-based security; simplified, centralized management; and enhanced high availability. Existing Hitachi Data Systems SAN customers can take advantage of these key new features with a software upgrade. Hitachi Data Systems also announced today that it supports Brocade's strategy for delivering multiple protocols, including FICON, and intends to qualify Brocade's FICON technology when it is available.

New capabilities based on the Brocade Fabric Operating Environment include:

• Advanced SAN Security through the Brocade Secure Fabric Operating System (Secure Fabric OS) -- the industry's only SAN security product that offers centralized management of SAN security policies and protects the SAN by using the strongest, enterprise-class security methods available, including digital certificates and digital signatures, multiple levels of password protection, encryption of management information such as passwords, Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)-based authentication, and 1024-bit encryption of the switch's private key used for digital signatures.
• Simplified Management through Fabric Manager, the Brocade fabric management software that configures, monitors, provisions, and manages multiple switches, SANs, and HBAs from a single console. Fabric Manager 4.0 -- the next generation of Brocade's SAN fabric management software -- includes new features such as integrated HBA management, advanced security management, and call home capabilities.
• Enhanced High Availability, for non-disruptive firmware activation and enhanced failover capabilities.

"As a longstanding Brocade partner, Hitachi Data Systems is pleased to offer customers this enhanced version of the Brocade SilkWorm 12000 Director," said Steve Tenbarge, vice president, Storage Infrastructure Product Management, Hitachi Data Systems. "With the combination of the features and functionality of combined Brocade and Hitachi Freedom Storage products, customers can deploy secure, simplified, and highly available enterprise SAN environments."

"We understand that customers are looking to assure the configuration integrity of their SANs and to simplify and unify fabric management," said Tom Buiocchi, Brocade vice president of Marketing. "With the introduction of these new features, Hitachi Data Systems will deliver ultra high availability, simplified management, and policy-based SAN security -- all acknowledged as imperatives for a Director-class SAN product."

About Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems is committed to enabling organizations worldwide to exploit the full potential of information. By following and deploying the Hitachi 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 Web site at www.hds.com.

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 totaled 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 devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at global.hitachi.com/.