EqualLogic Introduces New PS3000 Series Storage Array with Serial Attached SCSI Drives; PS3000 and Version 3.0 Firmware Enable Multiple Tiers of Storage in a Single SAN; New SAS Drives Deliver High Performance for Demanding Applications

Business Wire, Sept 12, 2006

NASHUA, N.H. -- EqualLogic(R), the leading provider of enterprise-class iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions, today announced the introduction of the PS3000 Series storage arrays featuring new, high-performance Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) disk drives. Combined with PS Series Version 3.0 firmware, the PS3000 Series allow EqualLogic's SANs to be configured with multiple performance tiers under a single management interface. IT managers now can match the specific performance, capacity and cost characteristics of each tier of storage to applications that serve the needs of different business objectives.

The PS3000 Series extends the PS Series family beyond EqualLogic's core SATA-based product line with SAS-based arrays to provide high-performance storage for the most demanding database and online transaction processing applications.

"In our business, response time is everything - our customers rely on AirClic mobile information solutions to provide real-time business information gathered from their mobile workforces," said Andrew Monroe, IT manager at AirClic, a Web-based software and mobile information services company. "We were looking for a high-performance SAN solution that would give us the highly responsive environment we need without the exorbitant cost and complexity of traditional storage. With EqualLogic's new PS3000 Series, we get Fibre Channel performance in an iSCSI-based solution that is easy to grow and manage; and the ability to architect tiers of storage for different data grades gives us the flexibility we need to run our business effectively."

"The EqualLogic PS3000 Series represents a whole new level of value to its customers," said Tony Asaro, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. "Having different tiers enables end users to get the right balance of price and performance based on the needs of their business. And they have the intelligence to move data transparently between these tiers. Additionally, with its ability to partition pools of storage, the PS3000 provides greater levels of efficiency and utility - departments and business units get their own dedicated storage, but the storage administrator still has only one system to manage."

The PS3000 Series includes two new SAS-based storage arrays: the PS3800XV with 15,000 rpm 146 gigabyte drives offering 2.4 terabytes of storage, and the PS3600X with 10,000 rpm 300 gigabyte drives and 4.8 terabytes of capacity. Both arrays are fully compatible with all installed EqualLogic SANs. The PS Series family with the PS3000 and Version 3.0 firmware (announced on July 31) offers:

--Unprecedented choice in performance, capacity, and cost, from high-capacity 7,200 rpm SATA arrays to high-performance 10,000 rpm and 15,000 rpm SAS arrays;

--Multiple tiers of storage in a single SAN, allowing IT managers to optimize the performance and capacity of each tier according to application demands;

--Continuous optimization of data placement according to application behavior, including automatic load balancing data across disks, RAID levels, and network connections for best application performance within each tier;

--Online data movement between tiers, allowing application data to move from one tier to another without any business disruption, as application behavior and business priorities evolve; and

--Seamless integration with all installed PS Series storage arrays, protecting customer investment and providing simplicity of installation, operation and management.

"This expansion of our enterprise SAN solutions provides our customers who require high-performance SAS drives the ability to optimize their storage deployments cost-effectively," said John Joseph, vice president of marketing at EqualLogic. "In addition, all customers now enjoy greater granularity in matching storage performance to their business needs in a single storage grid. No other enterprise-class midrange SAN solution offers this level of flexibility and ease of deployment for storage installations."

EqualLogic delivers a dynamic virtual storage solution to companies of all sizes, offering a reliable, self-managing, scalable pool of storage that responds automatically to users' demands. The award-winning and data-center-proven PS Series is the only native iSCSI SAN solution to offer a comprehensive and fully integrated standard feature set at no additional cost. Each PS Series storage array comes with fully redundant, fault-tolerant hardware and includes automatic storage management software. Multiple arrays combine to form a scalable storage grid that expands in capacity as needed without disruption.

Pricing and Availability

Both models in the PS3000 Series have a list price of $65,000 and will be available in October.

About EqualLogic

EqualLogic(R), Inc., is the leading provider of intelligent, enterprise-class iSCSI storage area network (SAN) solutions that enable businesses - from Fortune 100 to small and mid-size organizations in more than 30 countries worldwide - to realize the economic benefits of consolidated, self-managing storage. The EqualLogic PS Series of storage arrays, based on the company's patented peer storage architecture, is the industry's first automatic storage platform that delivers operational simplicity, comprehensive data management services and high data availability in a single, scalable pool of storage. EqualLogic's headquarters are located in Nashua, New Hampshire. For more information, please visit http://www.equallogic.com.