Ereo Selects Network Appliance Storage Solutions to Support Image-based Internet Search Engine Technology

Business Wire, Jan 17, 2001

Business Editors/Internet Writers

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 17, 2001

Network Appliance(TM) (Nasdaq:NTAP), a leading provider of network-attached data access and content delivery solutions, today announced that Ereo, Inc. has deployed Network Appliance's multi-terabyte storage solutions to support its demanding and fast growing storage environment. Ereo, a provider of the first outsourced, rich media search engine is scaling its image database at the rate of 36GB per day, and expects to reach approximately 6TB of data when it becomes available later this quarter for users of the Excite@Home portal, Ereo's first worldwide customer.

Ereo is powering its content- and graphics-rich database with the Network Appliance enterprise-level storage solution, including the new NetApp(R) F840 filer and Snapshot(TM) software, which performs frequent online, read-only file backups that enable complete database restoration quickly and easily.

"The graphics intensity of our search engine solution, coupled with the high demands from the server farm, requires a very scalable storage solution," said Yancy Fox, vice president of operations, Ereo. "Network Appliance storage appliances can easily scale to handle traffic, and its solutions will assist Ereo in meeting the performance goal of returning a response within 10 milliseconds of receiving a request."

In addition to scalability, performance was also a key criterion in selecting Network Appliance. The NetApp appliances store Ereo's data, which reside in the form of thumbnail images and URLs and serve it to Ereo's servers that process search requests. Based on Ereo's performance testing, the NetApp storage solutions can handle up to 15,000 requests per minute, thereby making them the highest-performing solution Ereo considered.

Ereo 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 companies with e-business driven strategies.

About Ereo

Ereo provides the first rich media search engine to incorporate images and allow Web users to use these techniques as the primary criteria for their search. Set to redefine the way people search online, Ereo's industry-first, rich media implementation utilizes images (with audio and video to follow) to help Web users find what they are looking for faster and easier than today's traditional, text-based search methodologies. For e-businesses, Ereo's technology provides a significant competitive edge by enabling improved customer retention and increased ease with which customers can find and purchase items on their sites. Headquartered in Westminster, Colorado, Ereo is a privately held member of the successful iBelay (www.ibelay.com) family of Internet-based, early stage companies. With more than 35 employees, Ereo's management team brings extensive experience in Internet-focused and high-tech companies. For more information, visit www.ereo.com or contact Laura Love at 720/929-0901, ext. 3708. For information on how to submit images to Ereo's WorldWide image database, email worldwide@ereo.com or visit www.ereo.com.

About Network Appliance

Network Appliance, Inc., a veteran 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 Lycos, Yahoo!, Citicorp Securities, Siemens, Lockheed, Cisco, 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(TM) appliances) are coupled with powerful content distribution and reporting software. This end-to-end solution offers seamless data management from the back-end data center to the edge of the network quickly, simply, and reliably. The Network Appliance 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(R) and Windows(R) environments.

Note to Editors: NetApp is a registered trademark and Network Appliance, Data ONTAP, Snapshot, and NetCache are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc in the United States and other countries. Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. UNIX is a registered trademark of X/Open Company Limited, in the U.S. and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.