VERITAS Software Corporation (Nasdaq: VRTS), The Data Availability Company, Hitachi,
Ltd. (NYSE:HIT) and its wholly owned subsidiary, Hitachi Data Systems, today announced
that the companies are expanding their relationship to further increase the quality
and reliability of open-systems solutions for enterprise customers who require a
heterogeneous, standards-based approach to maximizing data availability in the
data-intensive environments traditionally serviced by Hitachi. The three companies
have formed a Global Storage Management Agreement, which calls for the coordinated
integration and testing of the companies' storage solutions, in order to architect
highly interoperable data availability configurations that ensure increased flexibility
for the end user. As part of this Global Storage Management Agreement, Hitachi will
offer the latest versions of a wide range of VERITAS Software products and professional
services to its customers around the globe. The companies will also unite in joint
product integration and certification efforts.
"This new alliance further demonstrates Hitachi's strong commitment to partnering
effortsthat maintain our dedication to storage and open SAN solutions in a multiplatform
environment," Hiroaki Nakanishi, managing officer and group executive, Information
and Telecommunication Systems Group, Hitachi, Ltd. "VERITAS Software is the leading
company in providing software solutions that work across multiple operating systems
and hardware platforms. Together we will lead the charge in developing superior
storage innovations for global enterprise customers worldwide."
"This is a tremendous partnership opportunity for VERITAS Software," said Gary Bloom,
president and chief executive officer, VERITAS Software. "Hitachi is a top-tier disk-
array provider worldwide with a complementary strategy to VERITAS Software, which is
leading the industry in providing nonproprietary, multivendor storage and SAN management
solutions. This alliance also increases our presence in the Japanese domestic market -
an area of planned expansion for VERITAS Software."
"Hitachi Data Systems has strong relationships with enterprise customers worldwide
and understands very well their requirements for better ways to manage their rapidly
growing volumes of business data," said Jun Naruse, chief executive officer, Hitachi
Data Systems. "Under the strengthened alliance between VERITAS Software, Hitachi,
and Hitachi Data Systems, we expect to play a leadership role in helping customers
take advantage of the vast technological resources that these companies can bring to
bear in developing solutions for a wide variety of storage management issues."
"The Global Storage Management Agreement represents a strong complementary fit
between Hitachi, an open-systems hardware vendor, and VERITAS Software, an open-
systems software vendor," said Paul Mason, vice president of Infrastructure Software
Research, IDC. "The agreement provides more choices for mutual Hitachi and VERITAS
Software customers to enable them to obtain complete interoperability of industry-
standard solutions."
Enhanced Customer Benefits
The focus of this enhanced alliance is to provide substantial new benefits to VERITAS
Software and Hitachi's mutual customers. Hitachi, Ltd. and Hitachi Data Systems will
offer solutions that combine VERITAS Software with the Hitachi Freedom Storage™ line
of products, which includes the enterprise-class, multiplatform Lightning 9900™ Series
and the open-systems-class Thunder 9200™ storage systems and equivalent models in the
Japanese market. The three companies will partner on a wide range of VERITAS Software
products including, but not limited to,VERITAS Software data availability solutions
such as VERITAS Backup Exec™, VERITAS Cluster Server™, VERITAS Foundation Suite™,
VERITAS Global Data Manager™, VERITAS NetBackup™, VERITAS SANPoint Control™,
VERITAS Storage Migrator™, VERITAS Storage Replicator™, VERITAS Volume Manager™ for
Windows NT and related software. Joint integration efforts will also enable the companies
to provide customers with integrated, multiplatform storage solutions. In a further
effort to provide finely tuned storage and SAN solutions, Hitachi plans to provide
additional test and development hardware to the VERITAS Software labs and also plans to
create a VERITAS Competency Center at its facilities in the United States.
Together, Hitachi and VERITAS Software have outlined plans for increased support
staff dedicated to supporting joint-customer needs and to create awareness about the
joint solutions. Hitachi will employ storage professionals around the world dedicated
to meeting the needs of mutual customers.
This alliance will ensure customers receive the complete hardware and software storage
solution they require - when they need it - through coordinated sales and support.
Hitachi and VERITAS Software will work to provide customers with an industry-standard
storage solution that delivers improved return on investment and is ideally suited
to their business needs.
In addition to the global relationship announced in this press release, Hitachi and
VERITAS Software are strategically aligned to work on a number of additional initiatives.
These initiatives will be announced in the future.
About VERITAS The Data Availability Company™
VERITAS Software Corporation (Nasdaq:VRTS) provides essential data availability
software solutions that enable customers to protect and access their business-critical
data for Business Without Interruption™. The company's corporate headquarters is
located at 1600 Plymouth Street, Mountain View, CA 94043. (650) 335-8000,
fax: (650) 335-8050, e-mail: vx-sales@veritas.com, Web site:URL:http://www.veritas.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global
electronics companies, with fiscal 1999 (ended March 31, 2000) consolidated sales
of 8,001 billion yen ($75.5 billion*). The company manufactures and markets a wide
range of products, including computers, semiconductors, consumer products and power
and industrial equipment. For more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit
Hitachi's Web site at URL:http://www.hitachi.co.jp.
* At an exchange rate of 106 yen to the dollar.
About Hitachi Data Systems
Committed to helping customers exploit the value of information technology for success
in the Internet economy, Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi,
Ltd. (NYSE:HIT), is a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most
information-intensive corporations. For further information on Hitachi Data Systems,
access URL:http://www.hds.com.
This document may include estimates and forward-looking statements within the meaning
of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of
1934. These forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties,
including the timely development and market acceptance of our products and services,
our ability to maintain the quality of our end-user customer and partnering
relationships, and our ability to manage our business effectively, that could cause
the actual results we achieve to differ materially from such forward-looking statements.
For more information regarding potential risks, see the "Factors That May Affect Future
Results" section of our most recent reports on Form 10-K and Form 10-Q on file with
the SEC.
Copyright (c) 2001 VERITAS Software Corporation. All Rights Reserved. VERITAS, VERITAS
SOFTWARE, the VERITAS logo, Business Without Interruption, VERITAS The Data Availability
Company, NetBackup, VERITAS NetBackup, VERITAS Foundation Suite, SANPoint, VERITAS
SANPoint Control, VERITAS Volume Manager, VERITAS Backup Exec, VERITAS Cluster Server,
VERITAS Global Data Manager, VERITAS Storage Migrator and VERITAS Storage Replicator are
trademarks or registered trademarks of VERITAS Software Corporation in the US and/or
other countries. Other product names mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered
trademarks of their respective companies.
Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a
trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. Freedom Storage, Lightning 9900, and
Thunder 9200 are trademarks of Hitachi Data Systems.
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