EMC Extends Lead With Launch of World's Fastest and Highest-Capacity Storage Systems - Product Announcement

Edge: Work-Group Computing Report, May 1, 2000

EMC Corporation Tuesday launched its most significant barrage of new storage systems and software ever, stretching its lead as the world's premier supplier of information infrastructure solutions. Tuesday's announcements, which include the world's fastest and highest-capacity storage systems, advance EMC's ability to shape the global information landscape across multiple dimensions.

The announcements also expand the EMC E-Infostructure, which helps organizations in their quest to gather information from any source, grow it to any scale and accelerate their business to any speed. EMC E-Infostructure delivers an agile, centrally managed information infrastructure that offers the powerful, scalable and flexible platform necessary to handle the most demanding information storage needs, from the workgroup to the workforce and beyond.

Mike Ruettgers, EMC Chief Executive Officer, said, "Organizations today face a difficult challenge: accelerate enough to break free of competition and outdated business models, or come crashing back to earth. More than ever, information is the rocket fuel. `Escape velocity' can't be reached with traditional server-based means of capturing and leveraging information -- it requires a launching pad based on a wide-reaching infrastructure. With these unprecedented leaps in our Symmetrix and CLARiiON platforms and in our software and connectivity portfolio, EMC provides customers with the only complete set of storage solutions that can truly enable escape velocity."

Tuesday's announcements include --The Symmetrix 8000 family -- a complete new line of EMC Symmetrix Enterprise Storage systems, including the world's highest-capacity (19.1 terabytes) storage system. The new-generation Symmetrix family extends EMC's performance leadership with three to four times the performance of competitive systems.

--The new EMC CLARiiON FC4500 systems and software -- ushering CLARiiON into the world of multi-platform connectivity and EMC Enterprise Storage Networks. CLARiiON 4500 is the first CLARiiON system to offer simultaneous multi-platform host support, switched Fibre Channel connectivity into the EMC Enterprise Storage Network, new data protection and shared storage access software, and integration with EMC's centralized management software framework, EMC ControlCenter.

--Significantly increased range of connectivity options for the EMC Enterprise Storage Network, enabling customers to consolidate distributed information from departments and business units throughout the enterprise, as well as from remote locations over wide-area networks. Tuesday's connectivity announcements include:

-A new generation of the EMC Celerra network-attached file server, offering tighter integration with the EMC Enterprise Storage Network through support of switched Fibre Channel and industry-standard backup protocols, as well as tighter integration with EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility software.

-A new lineup of EMC Connectrix departmental switches, and major enhancements to EMC's Fibre Channel switch-based Connectrix enterprise director. EMC's expanded Connectrix family enables customers to consolidate and centrally manage information from the enterprise data center to the distributed branch office and beyond.

--The new EMC Enginuity Operating Environment forms the foundation for a wealth of software functionality (e.g. advanced data protection, standardized management, high-performance data movement, load balancing, etc.) that has remained the hallmark of Symmetrix value. By providing building blocks for integrating layered third-party software, EMC gives software developers wide-scale access to Symmetrix Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), enabling them to develop a wide variety of Symmetrix information management, sharing and protection software that customers can select and rapidly deploy.

--Increased integration and enhanced functionality for EMC Symmetrix Remote Data Facility (SRDF) software within the EMC Enterprise Storage Network. SRDF is the world's most popular remote data replication software. EMC Tuesday increased its value for customers through the addition of Fibre Channel support and other enhancements.

--Significant enhancements to several other Symmetrix software solutions -- EMC ControlCenter management framework, EMC TimeFinder and EMC InfoMover -- delivering the tools required to convert information into business value.

--New EMC CopyCross for MVS software extends to tape-based application data the advanced features of EMC's industry-leading Symmetrix Enterprise Storage systems and software. CopyCross is the first software solution to provide true disk recovery from tape, ensuring rapid system restart in the event of planned or unplanned outages.

--New and enhanced EMC CLARiiON software, including the new EMC Access Logix software, enabling information previously stored on a variety of platforms to be administered from a single storage management interface.