MARTINSRIED/MUNICH, Germany, Sept. 15, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- ADVA's FSP 2000 -- delivering unmatched support for IBM GDPS storage applications -- is recognized as one of the 100 most technologically significant new products in 2003Martinsried/Munich, Germany; Mahwah/New Jersey. September 15, 2004. ADVA Optical Networking today announced that its Fiber Service Platform (FSP) 2000 system has earned the R&D 100 Award. For the 42nd consecutive year, editors of R&D Magazine (previously Industrial Research) identified "the 100 most technologically significant new products." Previous winners have included High Definition TV (HDTV) in 1998, liquid crystal display in 1980, fax machine in 1975, and flashcube in 1965. ADVA's FSP 2000 was recognized this year for its unmatched support of IBM Corporation's Geographically Dispersed Parallel Syplex (GDPS) storage applications.
Providing the ability to recover from either natural disasters or malicious attacks and up to 99.999% reliability, IBM's GDPS has emerged as an industry standard for the disaster recovery and remote backup strategies of Fortune 1000 companies around the world. In a GDPS storage application, mainframe computers are clustered together over fiber links to work in parallel as if in a single system.
"Only four companies' products are qualified for an IBM GDPS environment, and one of those isn't actively deployed today. So that in itself puts ADVA's FSP 2000 into a select group," said Casimer DeCusatis, Senior Technical Staff Member and GDPS patent-holder, IBM zSeries Server Division. "There are, however, a number of additional reasons that make ADVA's offering so compelling. The system is small, lightweight, and easy to install -- helping to keep total cost of ownership very low and delivering an aggressive cost per channel. And there are some nice, advanced security features. For example, it's the only system in its class to provide physical layer fiber intrusion detection, which is very important in securing data in flight over distances from tens to hundreds of kilometers or more and hardening the network. When you combine IBM's cryptography capabilities with ADVA's expertise over the physical layer, it makes for a truly unique offering in the marketplace."
ADVA's FSP 2000 increases the amount of traffic carried over those fiber links by hundreds of times, generating significant savings in fiber costs for the GDPS user. Proprietary technology licensed from IBM is incorporated in the FSP 2000 and extensive qualification testing provides optimal support. The ADVA system provides more bandwidth and channels for reliable, native-speed application support, over greater distances, than any other fiber-optic multiplexer available on the market today. It is the only system to support GDPS over a single fiber. The FSP 2000 is the smallest system of its type, consumes the least power and can be implemented more quickly than the competition -- it's up to 12 times less expensive than any other competitive solution. More than 10 companies have currently deployed ADVA's FSP 2000 to support IBM GDPS storage applications.
"We are extremely proud of our relationship with IBM and joint efforts over the past two years to enable more enterprise customers to realize the unique benefits of a GDPS storage application. This award from R&D Magazine is a major recognition of those efforts and the strong value proposition that ADVA and IBM together can deliver," said Brian P. McCann, Chief Marketing & Strategy Officer at ADVA Optical Networking. "IBM is an industry leader in demand-driven technology innovation, and we look forward to continued collaboration."
The ADVA FSP 2000 is a Coarse/Dense WDM (C/DWDM) system specifically designed for enterprises requiring a flexible, cost-effective system to multiplex and transport data, storage, voice and video applications between 8Mbit/s and 10Gbit/s. More than 1,500 systems have been sold to date, primarily to enterprise customers who are expanding the reach and density of their network applications. With parallel use of WDM and TDM technology, up to 512 applications can be transported over one single fiber pair. More information about the FSP 2000 and key applications can be found on ADVA's web site, www.advaoptical.com.
ADVA, IBM and the other R&D 100 winners will be recognized at an October 14 banquet at Chicago's Navy Pier. The 2004 honorees are detailed in the September edition of R&D Magazine (www.rdmag.com).
ABOUT ADVA OPTICAL NETWORKING
ADVA Optical Networking (FSE: ADV) is a leading global provider of optical networking solutions for rapid and cost-effective provisioning of high-speed data, storage, voice, and video services in the metropolitan area. ADVA's carrier-class Fiber Service Platform (FSP) product portfolio is explicitly designed to enhance services, simplify networks, and reduce the total cost of ownership. ADVA's solutions have been deployed at over 90 carriers and several thousand enterprises worldwide. ADVA's products are sold through an international network of blue-chip distribution partners in addition to its own direct sales force.
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ADVA Optical Networking Inc., Mahwah/New Jersey, USA ADVA AG Optical Networking, Martinsried/Munich and Meiningen, Germany ADVA Optical Networking Corp., Tokyo, Japan www.advaoptical.com
FOR PRESS AND INVESTORS: Alexa M. Schmidt t +1 201 258 8293 (U.S.) t +49(0)89 89 0665 240 (Europe) t +81 3 5408 5891 (Asia) investor-relations@advaoptical.com public-relations@advaoptical.com
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