SUNW) Sun Microsystems and Imation Announce Plans for Development of Jiro
Technology-Enabled Storage Applications
PALO ALTO, Calif. & OAKDALE, Minn., May 2, 2000 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Imation to Specialize in Jiro Technology Development
Sun Microsystems, Inc. and Imation Corp. (NYSE: IMN), a leader in data storage
and information management solutions, today announced plans for Imation to
develop Jiro(TM) technology software for Sun's network storage products. Imation
also announced plans to offer a range of Jiro technology development services
for network storage vendors. Based on the Java(TM) 2 platform, Jiro technology
eliminates interoperability issues between storage systems, management software,
and network devices, and is an important enabler of next generation storage
networks.
"During the coming months, Sun storage systems and management software will
begin to deploy Jiro technology software," said Denise Shiffman, vice president
of marketing for Sun Network Storage. "Working with Imation will enable us to
accelerate the release of Jiro technology-enabled products as well as
intelligent management services that can be dynamically deployed across network
devices, software applications systems and storage. Imation's commitment to Jiro
technology specialization is a strong indication that the technology is being
embraced by storage developers and will soon be available to customers."
"Sun and Imation share a common view about the significance of storage in
today's computing environment and the requirement for open storage architectures
that allow true interoperability and automated management across all platforms,"
said Steve Ladwig, president of Imation Data Storage and Information Management.
"This alliance is yet another example of our efforts to extend Imation's
worldwide leadership in removable storage media and to offer a full portfolio of
services, solutions, and software."
Leveraging its storage software development expertise, Imation will initially
develop Jiro technology support for Sun's storage array products, including the
Sun StorEdge[TM] A5100 and A5200 storage systems, as well as Sun's storage
management and data services software products. Eventually, Imation plans to
extend a range of Jiro technology development services to other storage industry
vendors looking to deliver Jiro technology-enabled solutions. These development
efforts will support Imation's overall strategy to broaden its current market
leadership position in removable storage media to deliver a wide range of
software and service solutions including professional consulting and media
services, storage area network (SAN) lab capabilities, and proof-of-concept and
interoperability testing.
"Today's announcement highlights Imation's enterprise-capable Java software
development skills, storage knowledge, and partnerships with key data storage
industry leaders," said Bradley Rubin, Ph.D., chief technology officer for
Imation Data Storage and Information Management. "We expect Jiro technology to
have a significant impact on storage network management by enabling platform
connectivity, automatic configuration and policy-based management. We believe
that this is the right direction for storage management, and we are excited to
be a part of it."
About Jiro Technology
Jiro technology was developed through an industry-wide initiative launched in
December 1998. Its mission is to deliver technology that enables true
interoperability and platform-independence for the management of storage,
servers, applications and devices on networks. Jiro technology provides
developers with an open environment for creating and deploying storage
management services and controlling, monitoring and configuring related data
services. For more information about Jiro technology, please visit www.jiro.com.
In February, Sun announced the availability of the Jiro Technology Developer's
Release, which enables developers to begin creating Jiro technology-enabled
network management solutions based on industry-defined standards. The
Developer's Release source code, which is freely-available under the Sun
Community Source License (SCSL), is available for download at
jiro.com.
About Imation Corp.
Imation Corp. (NYSE:IMN) supplies a variety of products and services worldwide,
specializing in data storage and information management, color management and
imaging solutions. With the company's history of quality, reliability and
innovation, "Your Business Is Safe With Imation." In 1999, the company reported
revenues of approximately $1.4 billion. As of March 31, 2000, Imation employed
approximately 4,800 people worldwide. Additional information about Imation is
available on the Company's Web site at www.imation.com or by calling Imation
toll-free at 1-888-466-3456. To receive recent earnings and news releases,
corporate information and related shareholder services for Imation, call
Imation's toll-free shareholder information line at 1-888-IMN-NYSE
(1-888-466-6973).
About Sun Network Storage
Sun Network Storage was formed by Sun Microsystems in July 1998, and is a
recognized multi-billion dollar industry leader in the UNIX(R) and open systems
storage market. Sun is changing the rules in network storage by delivering
software and hardware written to an open network architecture. Sun's commitment
to standards enables timely availability of new technology, investment
protection for existing technology, and a thriving partner community. The
comprehensive Sun StorEdge family of products enables customers to match storage
to the application while providing scalable capacity and performance in a
"pay-as-you-grow" architecture.
Sun offers customers a complete family of network storage systems and storage
management software. The Sun StorEdge line of disk storage, tape backup,
management software and data services address workgroup to enterprise
requirements with solutions for server-attached storage, consolidated storage
networks and storage area networks. The products offer exceptional reliability,
availability, scalability, manageability and performance.
About Sun Microsystems, Inc.
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- The Network is The
Computer(TM) -- has propelled Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as
a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that
power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to ".com" their businesses.
With $13 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries
and on the World Wide Web at sun.com.
Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun Logo, Jiro, Sun StorEdge, and The Network Is The
Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in
the United States and other countries. Imation is a trademark of Imation Corp.
UNIX is a registered trademark in the United States and other countries,
exclusively licensed through X/Open Company Ltd. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners.
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