Compellent Storage Systems Selected for Microsoft Partner Solutions Center's Virtual Data Center

Business Wire, May 14, 2008

Microsoft Customers and Business Units Can Improve Data Utilization, Recovery and Performance with Solutions Based on Compellent SAN and Windows Server 2008

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- Compellent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE Arca: CML) today announced that Microsoft Corporation has selected the Compellent storage area network (SAN) as a core storage component of the Microsoft Partner Solution Center's (MPSC) virtual data center and disaster recovery strategy.

Located in Redmond, Wash., the MPSC is installing two Compellent SANs to host a wide array of applications to support proof-of-concept testing, architectural design and other initiatives including Compellent's remote replication for quick data and disaster recovery. MPSC architects plan to test and showcase technology solutions for customers, business units and partners, based on Microsoft platforms such as Windows Server 2008 on the Compellent SAN.

"Since Compellent proved itself in ease-of-use, utilization, scalability and 'green' efficiencies in a number of projects here at the MPSC, when it came time for us to redesign and virtualize our data center, it was an easy choice to add the Compellent SAN" said David Hayes, director of the Microsoft Partner Solutions Center. "We believe the Compellent storage systems will not only enable the MPSC to expand our own operations but also enable both companies to demonstrate more efficient and sophisticated storage platforms for the Microsoft community. We look forward to the continued collaboration with Compellent."

As a Sponsor-level partner, Compellent will work with the MPSC to help design and validate technology offerings that benefit Microsoft customers and business units. Compellent specialists will demonstrate real-world environment testing using the MPSC's data center, training rooms, briefing rooms and labs. In addition, Compellent will invite storage customers to participate in executive briefings held at the MPSC.

"Compellent continues to deliver the most efficient virtualized storage system to help customers realize the promise of virtual data centers based on platforms such as Microsoft's upcoming release of Hyper-V," said Bruce Kornfeld, vice president of marketing, Compellent. "We are pleased to be chosen by the MPSC for its new data center and are committed to making advances in data storage utilization and power efficiencies that can exceed the needs of Microsoft's customer base worldwide."

The Compellent SANs feature release 4.0, which offers several industry-first technologies that can manage data inside the volume to reduce the number of disk drives required by up to 80 percent. Compellent technologies such as Fast Track, Application Optimizer and Thin Import optimize data placement and utilization for server applications such as Microsoft SQL Server 2008, effectively reducing total cost of ownership and energy consumption for enterprises of all sizes. Using Compellent's storage resource management tool, Enterprise Manager, the MPSC can quickly manage remote replication and automatically create reports on capacity and cost savings for disks, power consumption and carbon emissions. In addition, Free Space Recovery, available with Enterprise Manager, enables deleted file space in a Windows environment to be reused.

For additional information about Compellent's interoperability and support for Microsoft platforms or to schedule a Compellent demo at the MPSC, visit www.compellent.com/microsoft. For more information about Compellent Storage Center, visit www.compellent.com/products.> The Microsoft Partner Solutions Center

Located on the Microsoft campus in Redmond, Wash., the MPSC is a 21,000 square-foot state-of-art facility with IT equipment uniquely designed to demonstrate customer solutions running at scale. Each solution can be customized for specific customer needs and organizational structures.

About Compellent

Compellent is a leading provider of enterprise-class network storage solutions that are highly scalable, feature-rich and designed to be easy to use and cost effective. Compellent Technologies' principal offices are located in Eden Prairie, Minn. For more information, please visit: http://www.compellent.com.