To: TGPTNDR who wrote (47858 ) 1/30/1999 10:29:00 AM From: Paul Engel Respond to of 1572642
Pwetender - Re: "Not my take on the story. Dell is making the box, NTAP is selling it," Your take is back-asswards. As usual. Pwengel {======================================} DELL AND NETWORK APPLIANCE ANNOUNCE OEM AGREEMENT Companies Team to Address the Rapidly Expanding Network Attached Storage Market ROUND ROCK, Texas, Nov. 4, 1998 -- Dell Computer Corp. (NASDAQ: DELL) and Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP) today signed an OEM agreement that will make Dell the first computer vendor to bring Network Appliance's industry-leading storage technology to the Windows NT® and Windows 2000® market. Products that result from this agreement will be available from Dell in 1999. Dell -- the no. 2 supplier of servers in the U.S. and no. 4 supplier worldwide -- and Network Appliance (NetApp), the leading provider of dedicated data-access and storage appliances, will work together to broaden the market for specialized networked file servers called "filers" Filers offload file access from general-purpose computer servers and speed access to the data for users across a network. Gartner Group's Dataquest estimates the market for storage appliances to grow from $900 million in 1998 to over $6 billion in 2002 as network attached storage (NAS) technology becomes increasingly adopted by a greater number of businesses. Enterprise customers can benefit from NetApp's multi-protocol NAS technology because users of both Windows and UNIX® systems, residing on the same network, can access the same data. This approach enables data resources to be consolidated onto one device, helping to simplify storage management and reduce storage implementation and support costs. NetApp's filer technology also offers high data availability through a patented dedicated architecture specifically designed for reliability and easy storage expansion. The companies will leverage Dell's direct business model and expertise in industry-standard, Windows NT systems to bring NetApp's leading filer technology to the growing market for network attached storage. Both Dell and NetApp are committed to high-end storage products based on the fibre-channel standard, which supports high-speed data transfer rates and more features for data availability. "Network Appliance is the industry leader and pioneer of the key technology required to build true network attached storage solutions," said Mike Lambert, senior vice president of Dell's Enterprise Systems Group. "This alliance will broaden the reach of our PowerVault™ storage line and help move Dell into a leadership position in bringing relevant storage technology to our customers worldwide." "Dell's leadership position in the NT server market and its emphasis on industry-standard enterprise storage solutions make it an ideal strategic business alliance for Network Appliance," said Dan Warmenhoven, president and CEO of Network Appliance. "We are confident that this alliance will help broaden the market for filer products and strengthen our leadership position worldwide." Network Appliance (NASDAQ: NTAP), a veteran in network file serving and caching, has been providing data access solutions for over six years. Major corporations and ISPs, including Bear Stearns, Yahoo, Siemens, Lockheed, Cisco, Motorola and Texas Instruments have deployed NetApp solutions. NetApp's file servers (called "filers") and Internet caching solutions (NetCache™) deliver fast, simple, reliable and cost-effective access to network-stored data and enable simultaneous shared file services for UNIX, Windows 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 patented data access software known as Data ONTAP™ and standards-compliant hardware. More information is available at netapp.com . This press release contains certain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties including the development of the filer market. The results of that market could differ materially from those estimated by Gartner Group's Dataquest. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include those discussed in the sub-section entitled "Other Factors Affecting the Company" in the NetApp's Annual Report on Form 10-K. Ranked No. 125 among the Fortune 500 companies and No. 363 in the Fortune Global 500, Dell Computer Corporation (NASDAQ: DELL) is the world's leading direct computer systems company, based on revenues of $15.2 billion for the past four quarters. Dell designs, manufactures and customizes products and services to customer requirements and offers an extensive selection of software and peripherals. Information on Dell and its products can be obtained through its toll-free number 1-800-388-8542 or by accessing the Dell World Wide Web site at www.dell.com. ### Dell disclaims any proprietary interest in the marks and names of others. Dell and PowerVault are trademarks of Dell Computer Corporation. NetApp is a registered trademark and Data ONTAP, Network Appliance and NetCache are trademarks of Network Appliance Incorporated. Fortune 500 is a registered trademark of Time Inc.