MCDT Mcdata

McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT), a leading provider of data access solutions, today announced McDATA Virtualizer, the first in a series of Advanced Fabric Services offerings delivered on McDATA�s Application Services Module (ASM) platform. The McDATA Virtualizer enables storage administrators to lower capital expenditures, reduce operating expenses and automate complex recurring tasks, while effectively managing and protecting ever growing quantities of business data. Virtualizer leverages McDATA�s ASM in a high availability configuration to enable greater storage utilization, faster single-point heterogeneous provisioning, non-disruptive end of lease transitions, tiered-optimized storage, online capacity expansion, local and remote replication and powerful logical data views. Unlike other solutions, McDATA Virtualizer is a completely integrated solution and performs to enterprise class requirements. It can be added to an entire storage fabric by connecting a single Virtualizer through any port on a switch or director � an improvement over other solutions that require multiple appliances, or use of multiple intelligent blades that are limited by a switch�s chassis. �Future data centers will focus on business requirements over infrastructure,� said Enterprise Strategy Group Founder and Senior Analyst Steve Duplessie. �The technological design of McDATA�s ASM takes a big stride toward realizing complete Enterprise Infrastructure Abstraction.� Virtualizer is the first in a series of Advanced Fabric Services offerings delivered on McDATA�s Application Services Module platform. McDATA ASMs are standalone modules, designed with an open application program interface (API), so that McDATA can team with OEMs and other partners to deliver advanced services to existing fabrics, quickly, non-disruptively and without any SAN hardware replacement requirements. Meeting the needs of enterprise-class customers, the highly scalable ASM architecture delivers up to two million virtual I/O (Input/Output) operations per second (VIOPs) per module. The ASM�s modular architecture allows it to connect into any switch or director, based on fabric from any vendor or OEM. Unlike appliance offerings, McDATA�s ASMs use a true �split path� architecture, which allows a single point of control and scalable data movement. �McDATA understands that customers want easier data access and are demanding solutions that allow them to focus more time on leveraging business data and less time figuring out how to technologically support it,� said McDATA Chief Operating Officer Todd Oseth. �That�s why we designed our ASM with an open API that we share with all; and with a platform that supports a truly integrated solution that can operate in existing SAN infrastructures and adapt and grow with future requirements. We worked with StoreAge to offer Virtualizer, and we�re working with others to bring additional fabric services to market in the future.� McDATA�s Virtualizer is available now on a limited basis from McDATA, with full availability in December. ASM/Virtualizer Industry Quotes Partners � Jeff Bawol, Senior VP and General Manager of Enterprise Software and Storage (ESS) Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas "Avnet solutions address complex environments," said Jeff Bawol, senior vice president and general manager of Enterprise Software and Storage (ESS), Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "While customers are interested in virtualization, many products do not support heterogeneous environments or scalability needs. McData's Virtualizer combines vendor and storage resource independence with scalability and manageability. It is a product that we believe will meet the real-world environments of our partners' customers." Joe Fannin, CEO NET Source "The concept of adding virtualization by simply adding ASM modules to existing switching ports would be very attractive to our customers," said McDATA partner NET Source. "While there are tremendous management advantages gained from virtualization, having to completely replace a switch and/or lose switching capabilities at the fabric level have prevented companies from implementing a solution so far. McDATA's ASM overcomes those boundaries. Now that the product is available, we believe our customers will be seriously evaluating it as a viable option." Industry Analysts � Data Mobility Group �Heterogeneity has been a major barrier to greater adoption of virtualization and other advanced fabric services available today,� said Joe Martins, research director and managing member for Data Mobility Group. �The McDATA ASM appears to have solved that problem. In addition to its generous processing power, the ASM uses a rather extensive�open API, and McDATA is welcoming all vendors to port their solutions to it.� IDC "With today's increasingly complex storage environments, enterprises need solutions that improve reliability and manageability for all of their heterogeneous storage assets," said Richard Villars, Vice President of Storage Systems Research at IDC. "Solutions like McDATA Virtualizer that deliver common data movement and management functions across different tiers of networked storage are playing a critical role in helping IT managers control storage costs and improve storage asset utilization." StorageIO �It�s�great to see McDATA deliver on its vision�of an open�solution that allows customers to add advanced fabric services including transparent data migration and volume management�to their�Fibre Channel and iSCSI networks," said Greg Schulz, Founder and Sr. Analyst the StorageIO Group. �With the ASM, McDATA�is�delivering an integrated fabric based storage virtualization solution leveraging a performance optimized appliance that supports robust storage services software to�enhance storage management tasks in heterogeneous environments." About McDATA (www.mcdata.com) McDATA (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT) is the leading provider of data access solutions, helping customers build, globally connect, optimize and centrally manage data infrastructures across SAN, MAN and WAN environments. With nearly 25 years experience developing SAN products, services and solutions, McDATA is the trusted partner in the world's largest data centers, connecting more than two-thirds of all networked data. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements about expected future events that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are urged to consider statements that include the terms "believes", "belief", "expects", "plans", "objectives", "estimates", "anticipates", "intends", "targets", or the like to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that could cause actual results to differ and vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, McDATA�s relationships with EMC, IBM and Hitachi Data Systems and the level of their orders, aggressive price competition by numerous other SAN and IP switch suppliers, OEM qualification of our new products, integration of CNT�s sales and marketing functions, manufacturing constraints, constraints in obtaining third party product for resale and other risk factors that are disclosed in McDATA�s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These cautionary statements by McDATA should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of disclosures made by McDATA. All cautionary statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. McDATA does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT), a leading provider of data access solutions, today announced McDATA Virtualizer, the first in a series of Advanced Fabric Services offerings delivered on McDATA's Application Services Module (ASM) platform. The McDATA Virtualizer enables storage administrators to lower capital expenditures, reduce operating expenses and automate complex recurring tasks, while effectively managing and protecting ever growing quantities of business data. Virtualizer leverages McDATA's ASM in a high availability configuration to enable greater storage utilization, faster single-point heterogeneous provisioning, non-disruptive end of lease transitions, tiered-optimized storage, online capacity expansion, local and remote replication and powerful logical data views. Unlike other solutions, McDATA Virtualizer is a completely integrated solution and performs to enterprise class requirements. It can be added to an entire storage fabric by connecting a single Virtualizer through any port on a switch or director -- an improvement over other solutions that require multiple appliances, or use of multiple intelligent blades that are limited by a switch's chassis. "Future data centers will focus on business requirements over infrastructure," said Enterprise Strategy Group Founder and Senior Analyst Steve Duplessie. "The technological design of McDATA's ASM takes a big stride toward realizing complete Enterprise Infrastructure Abstraction." Virtualizer is the first in a series of Advanced Fabric Services offerings delivered on McDATA's Application Services Module platform. McDATA ASMs are standalone modules, designed with an open application program interface (API), so that McDATA can team with OEMs and other partners to deliver advanced services to existing fabrics, quickly, non-disruptively and without any SAN hardware replacement requirements. Meeting the needs of enterprise-class customers, the highly scalable ASM architecture delivers up to two million virtual I/O (Input/Output) operations per second (VIOPs) per module. The ASM's modular architecture allows it to connect into any switch or director, based on fabric from any vendor or OEM. Unlike appliance offerings, McDATA's ASMs use a true "split path" architecture, which allows a single point of control and scalable data movement. "McDATA understands that customers want easier data access and are demanding solutions that allow them to focus more time on leveraging business data and less time figuring out how to technologically support it," said McDATA Chief Operating Officer Todd Oseth. "That's why we designed our ASM with an open API that we share with all; and with a platform that supports a truly integrated solution that can operate in existing SAN infrastructures and adapt and grow with future requirements. We worked with StoreAge to offer Virtualizer, and we're working with others to bring additional fabric services to market in the future." McDATA's Virtualizer is available now on a limited basis from McDATA, with full availability in December. -0- *T ASM/Virtualizer Industry Quotes Partners Jeff Bawol, Senior VP and General Manager of Enterprise Software and Storage (ESS) Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas *T "Avnet solutions address complex environments," said Jeff Bawol, senior vice president and general manager of Enterprise Software and Storage (ESS), Avnet Technology Solutions, Americas. "While customers are interested in virtualization, many products do not support heterogeneous environments or scalability needs. McData's Virtualizer combines vendor and storage resource independence with scalability and manageability. It is a product that we believe will meet the real-world environments of our partners' customers." -0- *T Joe Fannin, CEO NET Source *T "The concept of adding virtualization by simply adding ASM modules to existing switching ports would be very attractive to our customers," said McDATA partner NET Source. "While there are tremendous management advantages gained from virtualization, having to completely replace a switch and/or lose switching capabilities at the fabric level have prevented companies from implementing a solution so far. McDATA's ASM overcomes those boundaries. Now that the product is available, we believe our customers will be seriously evaluating it as a viable option." -0- *T Industry Analysts Data Mobility Group *T "Heterogeneity has been a major barrier to greater adoption of virtualization and other advanced fabric services available today," said Joe Martins, research director and managing member for Data Mobility Group. "The McDATA ASM appears to have solved that problem. In addition to its generous processing power, the ASM uses a rather extensive open API, and McDATA is welcoming all vendors to port their solutions to it." -0- *T IDC *T "With today's increasingly complex storage environments, enterprises need solutions that improve reliability and manageability for all of their heterogeneous storage assets," said Richard Villars, Vice President of Storage Systems Research at IDC. "Solutions like McDATA Virtualizer that deliver common data movement and management functions across different tiers of networked storage are playing a critical role in helping IT managers control storage costs and improve storage asset utilization." -0- *T StorageIO *T "It's great to see McDATA deliver on its vision of an open solution that allows customers to add advanced fabric services including transparent data migration and volume management to their Fibre Channel and iSCSI networks," said Greg Schulz, Founder and Sr. Analyst the StorageIO Group. "With the ASM, McDATA is delivering an integrated fabric based storage virtualization solution leveraging a performance optimized appliance that supports robust storage services software to enhance storage management tasks in heterogeneous environments." About McDATA (www.mcdata.com) McDATA (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT) is the leading provider of data access solutions, helping customers build, globally connect, optimize and centrally manage data infrastructures across SAN, MAN and WAN environments. With nearly 25 years experience developing SAN products, services and solutions, McDATA is the trusted partner in the world's largest data centers, connecting more than two-thirds of all networked data. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains statements about expected future events that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are urged to consider statements that include the terms "believes", "belief", "expects", "plans", "objectives", "estimates", "anticipates", "intends", "targets", or the like to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that could cause actual results to differ and vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, McDATA's relationships with EMC, IBM and Hitachi Data Systems and the level of their orders, aggressive price competition by numerous other SAN and IP switch suppliers, OEM qualification of our new products, integration of CNT's sales and marketing functions, manufacturing constraints, constraints in obtaining third party product for resale and other risk factors that are disclosed in McDATA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These cautionary statements by McDATA should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of disclosures made by McDATA. All cautionary statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. McDATA does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.