NEWS: IOM and AXIX COMMUNICATIONS WITH JAZ: 6/9/97
Axis Communications Announces First Plug-And-Play Server Family To Attach Removable
Storage Directly To Networks
PR Newswire, Monday, June 09, 1997 at 08:53
Products Offer Superior Cost-Efficiency and Ease-of-Use
Compared to Traditional File Servers
WOBURN, Mass., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Axis Communications, Inc. a leading
provider of network and Web appliances, announced today the AXIS StorPoint HD
for Jaz product family, the first workgroup network connectivity solutions
that provide flexible and cost-effective ways for sharing removable storage
over a network. Axis is cooperating closely with Iomega Corporation
(NYSE:IOM) to put the popular Jaz drive out on networks in a 4-drive tower,
complete with Axis' StorPoint HD workgroup storage server.
This new category of directly-attached networked storage servers
incorporate industry standard connections to provide users with an operating
system and platform-independent plug-and-play solution. The StorPoint HD for
Jaz family leverages Axis' ThinServer(TM) Technology to provide cost-effective
and easy-to-use alternatives to traditional file servers.
"Customers have been eagerly awaiting a solution that offers network
connectivity for removable storage devices, such as the 1GB Jaz drive," said
Maury Domengeaux, director, Jaz product management at Iomega Corporation. "By
utilizing Axis' ThinServer Technology, Jaz customers receive the benefit of
increased flexibility and ease-of-use and are no longer dependent upon a file
server or a specific workstation."
"Our users have the need to add additional storage to their network. The
combination of Axis ThinServer Technology with the flexibility and speed of a
Jaz drive, allows my users to add storage directly to their network," said
Fred DeVore, principal service specialist for Honeywell, Industrial
Automation and Control Division. "Because the AXIS StorPoint HD for Jaz is
file server independent and emulates a file server, I can now add Jaz drives
anywhere without a security risk or bringing down the network and, most
importantly, without slowing down the network!"
The StorPoint HD for Jaz products implement a compatible, multiplatform
workgroup storage server, allowing users in Windows NT, Windows 95, OS/2, and
HTTP environments to seamlessly, securely and simultaneously write-to and read
information on any drive connected to the network. They are all plug-and-play
solutions that require no additional software, and take only minutes to add to
a network. In fact, because they are totally independent of a file server,
the StorPoint HD for Jaz solutions can be installed without any system
downtime. The product's built-in Web server also makes it possible to access
data on Jaz cartridges using any Web browser.
Flash memory allows central and remote software updates over the network
using FTP over TCP/IP, and as a result of the optimized server architecture,
users will see better overall network performance and utilization. Based on
the latest 32-bit RISC technology, the products also boast a network
throughput of up to 1050 kbytes/second, and can be scaled to support high
traffic networks. The StorPoint HD's access speed can be boosted by expanding
its memory up to 32 Mbytes using standard DIMMs.
Changing the Way Workgroups Work
The StorPoint HD solutions represent a dramatic shift in the way
workgroups will store and share information. Other products require users to
share files and disk space located on individual workstations, which results
in both a burdensome slow down of the host system and the risk of corrupted
files from a remote user. The StorPoint HD family allows users to save data
to independent Jaz drives on the network and permits shared access to those
files. No file server is required, no unnecessary traffic created.
For example, organizations such as advertising agencies, law firms,
accounting firms and others that have many people working on a particular
client account, can have everyone write-to and read information from a
particular Jaz cartridge via the network. The information on the cartridge
can be secured by a password so that only approved personnel can view or
update the contained files. Everything from graphics and billing information,
to spreadsheets and saved E-mail messages can conveniently be kept in one
place.
The Jaz cartridges are also transportable, so distributing software and
backing up individual workstations is fast and simple. And because these
tasks can be done using a single networked Jaz drive, rather than requiring
one drive per station, the potential savings to end-user organizations is
tremendous.
"We believe that this new breed of network server will soon make obsolete
much of file server-based means of attaching storage to the network," said
Les Yetton, president of Axis Communications, Inc. "It is the first time
storage devices can be connected to a network without the hassle or expense of
a traditional file server."
Solutions for Any Network Configuration
The StorPoint HD for Jaz product family includes three models: The
StorPoint HD, a standalone storage server that connects as many as seven SCSI
drives to Ethernet networks; the StorPoint HD/T, which is a tower module
version of the HD model that slides into a standard 5.25" tower bay; and the
StorPoint HD/4, an all-in-one solution which includes four pre-installed
Iomega Jaz drives in a plug-and-play network storage tower.
Like all Axis products, the StorPoint HD product family leverages the
company's ThinServer Technology, which allows peripheral devices of every kind
to be accessed and utilized by multiple clients using virtually any desktop
and network operating system.
Axis' ThinServer Technology combines embedded streamlined versions of
major operating systems, such as Windows NT, NetWare, OS/2, and UNIX,
optimized 32-bit RISC hardware and an open web-based management platform.
At the core of the ThinServer Technology is Axis' ETRAX2 processor, which
optimizes the performance of peripheral devices by supporting integrated
network controllers, a 32-bit RISC CPU and device I/O, such as SCSI-2, all on
one chip. Unlike general purpose processors, such as the Intel Pentium, ETRAX
is specifically designed and optimized for embedded network systems that place
high demands on I/O performance and system costs.
Price and Availability
The StorPoint HD standalone unit is priced at (U.S. dollars) $999. The
StorPoint HD/T, internal mounting unit is (U.S. dollars) $999. The StorPoint
HD/4, complete tower with Jaz drives will be priced at (U.S. dollars) $2999.
Products will be distributed through Ingram Micro (U.S. and Canada), Tech
Data, Globelle (U.S.), and Litco Systems (Canada). The StorPoint HD products
will be available by the end of July.
About Axis Communications:
Axis Communications enables users to access and share any connected device
seamlessly, increasing the value of networks. Axis' ThinServer Technology
provides the means to deliver cost-effective, high-performance web server
capabilities to attached appliances and devices. The company's thin,
streamlined server products for hard disks, CD-ROM drives, digital cameras and
printers are part of the first wave of smart, independent devices that allow
networks to provide access to everything. Founded in 1984, Axis
Communications headquarters are located in Lund, Sweden. Axis has 200 people
employed worldwide, with revenues of $60 million and has shown a yearly growth
rate of 67% over the past 10 years.
All trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
SOURCE Axis Communications, Inc.
-0- 06/09/97
/CONTACT: Kim Rose or Jessica Dunker, ShapeTechnology,
408-733-2505, email: krose@shapetech.com, or on the Web: axis.com |
