IDC White Paper Reveals NEC Computers' Approach to Fault Tolerance Provides Higher Availability Than Server Clustering

Business Wire, Jan 8, 2002

Business/Technology Editors

BOXBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 8, 2002

Benefits of New Windows(R)/Intel(R)-Based Fault Tolerant Servers from NEC Computers Seen in Many Applications for Customers and Resellers

In an NEC-sponsored white paper just published by IDC(R), the market research firm reveals the benefits of NEC Computers' fault tolerant server technology for IT managers deploying high availability networks. The report notes that NEC's fault tolerant server technology renders hardware failures transparent to the end-user. There is no transaction data is lost, applications and data remain available at all times, and demands on IT staffers are dramatically reduced.

Significantly, the paper contrasts high availability features of clustered server technology - connecting two or more servers together using complex hardware and software techniques - with the high availability capabilities provided by a highly stable Windows-based fault tolerant server recently introduced by NEC Computers. The white paper is available on the NEC Computers' Fault Tolerant web site - www.necft.com.

Other critical points revealed within the white paper include:

-- Server down time of more than 5 minutes per year is not acceptable to
approximately 80 percent of IT sites that now run cluster systems - yet many
cluster systems do not provide less than five minutes of down time per year;

-- Most servers shipped between 1996 and 1998 were just two or four processor
systems, yet the forces of globalization demanding 24 x 7 operation were not
supported by such servers;

-- Clustering - which may provide 99.9 percent availability (about 8 hours of
down time per year) rather than the fabled 99.999 percent availability (about 5
minutes of down time per year) - may be inadequate for extremely
mission-critical work;

-- For software "applications that are not inherently cluster-aware, the NEC
Computers' fault tolerant server provides a compelling alternative for users
who are seeking high availability;"

-- Application developers who need to improve the availability of their
software solutions will find that the NEC Computers fault tolerant server
provides an alternative to clustered server systems.

"The business benefits of NEC Computers' approach to high availability are clear for both resellers and IT managers," said Jean Bozman, Director, Global Enterprise Server Solutions, IDC. "Fault tolerant solutions from NEC Computers can provide simplified high availability compared to clustered servers and their associated software scripts. NEC's strategy to leverage their technology investment to enter into what today is considered a niche market poses a considerable opportunity in the future."

The ten-page report concludes that channel partners that join in the NEC Computers fault tolerant server program "should find high return, as the IT markets have shown no sign of relenting in the need for continuous availability."

About NEC Computers Inc.

NEC Computers Inc. (www.neccomp.com), a wholly owned subsidiary of NEC Technologies Inc., delivers mobile, desktop and server computing solutions to the commercial market in North America. NEC Computers taps into the technological resources of NEC Corporation's (NEC) (NASDAQ: NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.1) extensive research and development facilities in Japan, where products are developed for the global marketplace. NEC Computers sells systems through reseller and distributor channels. For more information about NEC Computers resellers, contact 888-632-8701 in the U.S., 800-839-2847 in Canada.

Editor's Note: NEC is a registered trademark of NEC Corporation. Intel, Itanium and Pentium are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Intel Corporation. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.(c)2001 NEC Computers Inc.