Gates/Arrow Unit CONSAN to Distribute Ancor Fibre Channel SAN Switches
MINNEAPOLIS, April 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Ancor Communications Inc. (Nasdaq: ANCR) today announced a channel agreement with CONSAN, a Gates/Arrow company, to integrate and distribute Ancor's GigWorks Fibre Channel switches as part of prepackaged storage area networks (SANs). The deal represents Ancor's first announced SAN distribution relationship with a key storage integrator who will package and test the SAN and then make it available to its 5,000 VARs and resellers.
Ancor's MKII(TM) switches, available today in both 8- and 16-port configurations, deliver gigabit-speed access to stored data throughout the enterprise without affecting LAN IP traffic. CONSAN will sell Ancor fabric switches exclusively along with other leading Fibre Channel hardware and storage software products, providing VARs, and ultimately end users, with scalable, robust SAN solutions before "plug-and-play" solutions from system vendors are widely available.
"We chose Ancor's switch over its competitors' products because it is clearly the performance leader -- delivering the greatest scalability without loss of performance, greatest security with its unique hard zoning, and the lowest latency in the industry," said Denny Maetzold, president of CONSAN. "The Ancor switch packaged with other leading SAN components will deliver the power of instant data access to end users."
"We are pleased to begin a relationship with a 10-year storage industry veteran such as CONSAN," said Cal Nelson, Ancor's president. "VARs and resellers who want to be early Fibre Channel SAN suppliers can trust CONSAN to deliver reliable switched storage fabrics, just as they have been providing leading SCSI solutions. CONSAN's distribution channel will enable end users early entry into switched SAN architectures, providing their clients with faster access to corporate information and greater productivity."
About Ancor Communications
Ancor Communications, Inc. provides GigWorks(TM) high-performance Fibre Channel switches for storage and data-intensive network solutions, including storage-area networks (SANs). The company was the first to deliver a Fibre Channel switch, and the first to top the one-gigabit performance level. Ancor has OEM agreements to provide switches to Forefront Graphics, INRANGE Technologies, JNI (formerly Jaycor Networks), nStor, and Prisa Networks for Silicon Graphics. Ancor is a member of the Fibre Channel Association, the Storage Networking Industry Alliance, the Fibre Channel Community, the ANSI Standards Committee, and the University of New Hampshire Fibre Channel Consortium to promote the advancement of Fibre Channel standards and interoperability. Information on Ancor is available on the World Wide Web at ancor.com
About CONSAN
CONSAN is a distributor of high-end mass storage products. CONSAN specializes in the latest technology, including Fibre Channel and SAN solutions. Offerings include RAID, automated tape libraries, Jukeboxes, disk drives, tape drives and CD rewriteable drives. A technical sales staff and engineering department ensure proven solutions. Located in Minneapolis, MN, CONSAN has been in the storage business for over ten years. Additional information about CONSAN can be found at consan.com
For more information about Fibre Channel technology and Ancor Fibre Channel solutions, call 800-342-7379 or access World Wide Web site ancor.com. Media, contact Mary Miller, Ancor, at 612-932-4071 or marym@ancor.com or Aaron Pearson, Shandwick, at 612-841-6217 or apearson@shandwick.com.
Forward-looking statements as defined by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 are qualified by the risk factors outlined in the documents Ancor Communications, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Statements contained in this press release regarding CONSAN's future purchases of Ancor's products are forward looking statements. Factors which may affect Ancor's ability to achieve the results implied by such forward looking statements include whether, as the Fibre Channel market matures, Ancor is able to continue to provide the technology and features required by the SAN market, whether Ancor's products continue to perform to their specifications, or whether CONSAN changes its product plans.
SOURCE Ancor Communications, Inc.
CO: Ancor Communications, Inc.; CONSAN
ST: Minnesota
IN: CPR
SU: PDT
04/06/99 13:16 EDT prnewswire.com |
