NTAP--Tuesday July 25, 7:05 am Eastern Time
Company Press Release
Network Appliance Storage Solutions Selected by Gig.com for Digital Music Infrastructure and Content Management System
NetApp® Storage Appliances Offer the Ultimate in Scalability and Performance for Internet Storage and Delivery of Digital Music
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 25, 2000-- Network Appliance, Inc., (Nasdaq:NTAP - news), the leading provider of network-attached data access and content management solutions, today announced that Gig.com has selected Network Appliance network storage solutions to power its new digital music Internet infrastructure and content management system. Gig.com's system is designed to enable Music Service Providers (MSPs are Web portals, music e-tailers, and other online affinity sites providing digital music to their customers) the ability to provide high-performance digital music management, storage, and delivery services to consumers via a robust global server technology network.
To help deliver its content to a broad user base, Gig.com has deployed multiple-terabyte, clustered NetApp F760 storage appliances (filers), the most powerful Network Appliance enterprise storage solution, enabling Gig.com to quickly and easily upgrade the storage systems as their customers' businesses grow. The NetApp storage solutions will be used by Gig.com to ensure scalability, flexibility, and high performance for its MSP customers who require ultra-high capacity storage capabilities. The NetApp F760 filers also include clustered failover and SnapRestore(TM) software. This allows Gig.com to provide virtually uninterrupted delivery of its digital music services to its customers by ensuring high data reliability and recoverability.
``We chose NetApp storage solutions because they offer the ideal combination of scalability, reliability and power-three critical components to our music infrastructure system,'' said Albert Chen, CEO at Gig.com. ``Network Appliance's reputation, along with the ease of deployment and flexibility convinced us that the Network Appliance network storage solution was the solution we needed.''
``Digital music is one of the hot technologies on the Internet, with millions of people downloading music everyday,'' said Mike Marchi, senior director of marketing at Network Appliance. ``Together Gig.com and Network Appliance can ensure that digital music consumers will be able to store and access their music quickly and securely.''
Gig.com has purchased over a dozen NetApp F760 file servers equating to multi-terabytes, and is currently deploying these systems to strategic points within its global network infrastructure to maximize the reliability and performance of its digital music infrastructure system.
Gig.com's digital music system, based on patented content management technologies, provides scalable storage and delivery capabilities that enable MSPs to capitalize on the rapidly growing digital music market by allowing them to provide high-value, personalized consumer services including ``Jukebox in the Sky'' services, personalized music storage and management capabilities, and high-speed access to stored content anytime, anywhere regardless of device. Gig.com's system features a scalable, cached server and network storage system, which minimizes the download time required for digital music and gives consumers rapid access to their files by automatically selecting the storage site closest to each consumer within the company's worldwide global network. Gig.com is the industry's only pure infrastructure system provider that gives MSPs complete control over relationships with their customers. The Gig.com system empowers MSPs to provide high-value, ``sticky'' digital music services and easily differentiate their service offerings to help build and maintain strong, lasting one-to-one relationships with consumers.
Gig.com is a participant in Network Appliance's ``Powered by Network Appliance'' program, a branding initiative designed to foster business development and enhance the exposure of Internet companies with e-business driven strategies. Network Appliance powers nine out of the top 10 ISPs and 13 out of the top 15 Web sites worldwide.
About Gig.com
Gig.com (www.gig.com) is the first company to provide a robust, scalable Internet infrastructure and content management system that enables ``Jukebox in the Sky'' services for Music Service Providers (MSPs are Web music portals, music retailers, general consumer portals or other online affinity sites), allowing them to deliver highly customized digital music content and services to consumers. Founded by pioneers in the development of Internet infrastructure and digital media delivery technologies, and backed by leading investors including Sony Music, Alcatel Ventures, and Altos Ventures, Gig.com is leading the convergence of music and technology to help establish the Internet as the medium of choice for digital content management, storage and delivery. Headquartered in San Francisco, the company is privately held. For more information visit the company Web site or call Gig.com at 415/495-5551.
About Network Appliance
Network Appliance, Inc., a veteran in network file serving and caching, has been providing data access solutions since 1992, and is a member of both the S+P 500 and NASDAQ 100 index. Major corporations and ISPs, including Lycos, Yahoo!, Citicorp Securities, Siemens, Lockheed, Cisco, Motorola, and Texas Instruments have deployed NetApp solutions. NetApp Internet caching solutions (NetCache(TM) appliances) and file servers (filers) deliver fast, simple, reliable, and cost-effective access to network-stored data and enable simultaneous shared file services for UNIX®, Windows NT®, and the World Wide Web.
The company pioneered the concept of the ``network appliance,'' an extension of the industry trend toward dedicated, specialized products that perform a single function. Network Appliance filers and NetCache appliances are based on the company's innovative data access software known as the Data ONTAP(TM) operating system and standards-compliant hardware.
Note to Editors: NetApp and the Network Appliance logo are registered trademarks and Network Appliance, NetCache, and Data ONTAP are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Windows and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark in the U.S. and other countries, licensed exclusively through X/Open Company Limited. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. |
