Network Appliance Maintains Lead in Secure Content and Application Delivery Market

Business Wire, Dec 20, 2004

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- Internet Access and Security, Business Application Acceleration, and other NetCache(R) Services Boost Industry Leading Solution

Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ:NTAP) announced today that it remains the leader in secure content and application delivery as measured by IDC. According to IDC's Worldwide Secure Content and Application Delivery report for calendar year 2003, NetApp accounted for 38% of the revenue market share and maintained its position as market leader with 38% of the revenue market share through the first six months of 2004. As a result of shifting market demands, IDC introduced this market segment to include products that were previously considered part of the CDN/Caching and security appliance markets. NetApp has made significant advances to its NetCache product portfolio to maintain its lead. Over the past 18 months, the company has introduced new versions of NetCache software, continued to deliver the industry's most robust total solution for enterprise Internet access and security, and expanded solutions for accelerating Web-based business applications throughout an organization from the data center to the network edge.

"Today's businesses rely heavily on the fast, secure delivery of information as a critical success factor and competitive edge," said Dave Kresse, general manager of the content delivery business unit at Network Appliance. "NetCache has consistently demonstrated its strength as a powerful platform to manage access to information for a variety of data center and remote office services. Our leadership position over the past several years is directly attributable to our continued focus on using NetCache appliances to protect critical enterprise networks from Internet viruses, hackers, and other security threats. More recently, we have begun to leverage the company's data management and application partnerships to enhance the value of our business application acceleration solution. Our commitment to customer satisfaction and strong partnerships, coupled with our continued ability to create solutions that anticipate customers' requirements, all helped contribute to our strong market showing."

"Enterprise customers are demanding an easy-to-deploy architecture that enhances control and security of their network infrastructure, end user performance of Internet and intranet applications, and the ability to deliver video content," said Lucinda Borovick, program director, datacenter networks, IDC. "Network Appliance is the leading vendor in this market for 2003 and first half of 2004, and has proven itself to be a dynamic and nimble competitor capable of addressing their customers' needs and building a sustained business."

About Network Appliance

Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992, Network Appliance has delivered technology, product, and partner firsts that continue to drive "The evolution of storage.(TM)" Information about Network Appliance(TM) solutions and services is available at www.netapp.com.

NetApp and NetCache are registered trademarks and Network Appliance and The evolution of storage are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc. 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.