Network Appliance Delivers On Global Data Fabric Strategy
Unveils New Solutions to Help Enterprises Build Global Data Fabrics Today
SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Sept. 11, 2001--Network Appliance, Inc. (Nasdaq:NTAP - news), the leading provider of network-attached data access and content delivery solutions, announced new solutions, products, and technologies that reinforce its leadership role in the evolution of network storage. Network Appliance is pioneering new approaches that extend the data center today while simultaneously enabling organizations to better link those data centers and offices in a more robust fabric architecture -- the global data fabric.
New products announced today broaden NetApp's data center solution capabilities and continue the evolution of a flexible global data fabric that converges WANs, LANs, and SANs into robust business networks capable of handling the extreme demands of globalization and the explosion of data. Global data fabrics allow companies to gain access to timely and competitive information faster, become more responsive to business needs, leverage expertise around the globe, accelerate product/service time-to-market, and truly manage business 24x7. Global data fabrics also scale to accommodate truly global implementations, or local implementations of smaller fabrics within a data center.
``Successful businesses today require a global focus and worldwide access to information to return competitive advantage. The data center and secure user access to information infrastructures are more important than ever as corporations strive to increase revenue and profitability. IT systems and technology investments must take this globalization into constant consideration, creating ways to maximize the value of information anywhere in the enterprise and empowering partners and customers in all geographies to succeed,'' said Mark Santora, senior vice president of marketing at Network Appliance. ``Networks not only move information, they move business. Enterprise customers need a global data fabric that eases the convergence of corporate LANs, WANs, and SANs into a cohesive, flexible business network. Today's announcements expand NetApp's commitment to and strategy for the future of network storage.''
``Enterprises are facing a shift in the way they do business that requires access to data anywhere, anytime. With globalization as a driving factor, they will be forced to look at more efficient ways to distribute mission-critical data to employees and customers around the world,'' said Jamie Gruener, Senior Analyst at Yankee Group. ``Storage systems, content delivery, and value-added software that ties everything together are the key. Network Appliance promises a scalable, easy-to-manage architecture based on a common platform that delivers all three components crucial to the global data fabric infrastructure.''
NetApp® Center-to-Edge(TM) solutions enable companies to enhance their global data fabric infrastructures. New data center infrastructure products include NetApp F880 series filers and SnapManager(TM) for Microsoft® Exchange 2000, both of which demonstrate the power, reliability, and enterprise expertise that Network Appliance(TM) products offer. New Network Appliance products that harness the power of global data fabrics include NetApp Data Fabric(TM) Manager 1.1, ContentDirector(TM) 2.0, and ContentReporter(TM) 3.0.
NetApp's Center-to-Edge solutions help companies create global data fabrics by synergizing hardware, software, and services, enabling users to access data anywhere in the fabric with a higher quality of service than a centralized model, while maintaining management and security benefits. At the core of this solution is storage and delivery hardware that shares a common platform, file system, and operating system; and a broad set of management software to enable the intelligent distribution, management, and monitoring of data throughout the enterprise.
NetApp Benefits to the Global Data Fabric:
Simplicity -- global data fabrics will require simplicity because many parts of the fabric are supported remotely. NetApp's appliance approach redefined simplicity, and will remain a cornerstone of global data fabric implementations.
Scalability -- global data fabrics will need to grow on demand. NetApp's building block approach allows growth at the pace of the customer's business-where and when it is required.
Shareability -- all data in a global data fabric will be shared across the fabric. An open standards approach and the use of interoperable protocols and solutions are vital. NetApp's open standards approach is built into all our products, making them ideal candidates for extensive global data fabric deployments.
Network-centric architectures -- NetApp storage and delivery solutions were built from day one with networking in mind. NetApp's first products were designed for storage over IP, and today NetApp offers solutions that encompass a variety of networking topologies, no matter what business infrastructure you have deployed.
``Network Appliance's strategy to deliver the solutions that power global data fabrics demonstrates our continued goal to build and expand storage and content delivery networks, giving customers true choices to meet their enterprise needs. NetApp's Center-to-Edge solutions and open storage networking focus are the cornerstones of the evolution of the global data fabric,'' continued Mark Santora.
About Network Appliance
Network Appliance, Inc., a leader in network file storage and content delivery, 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 service providers, including Cisco, Lycos, Yahoo!, Citicorp Securities, Siemens, Lockheed, Motorola, and Texas Instruments have deployed NetApp solutions.
The company pioneered the concept of the ``network appliance,'' an extension of the industry trend toward dedicated, specialized products that perform a single function. NetApp storage and content delivery platforms (filers and NetCache® appliances) are coupled with powerful content distribution and reporting software. This Center-to-Edge solution offers seamless data management from the back-end data center to the edge of the network quickly, simply, and reliably. The Network Appliance(TM) product portfolio utilizes the company's innovative data access software, known as the Data ONTAP(TM) operating system, as well as standards-compliant hardware. It also offers multiprotocol support and transparent integration for UNIX® and Windows® environments.
Note to Editors: NetApp and NetCache are registered trademarks and Network Appliance, SnapManager, ContentDirector, ContentReporter, DataFabric, Center-to-Edge, and Data ONTAP are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such. |
