sTec, Inc.
Source: sTec, Inc.

sTec Launches Global Channel Program, Aggressively Expands Solid-State Storage Solutions, Targets New Market Segments

SSD Industry Leader Addresses Growing Demand for Tailored Data Centers

SANTA ANA, Calif., April 2, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- sTec, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEC), a leading global provider of solid-state storage solutions, today announced its extensive range of solid-state solutions are now available to enterprise customers through the company's new direct sales and global channel programs. Building upon its unmatched, two-decade track record of delivering flash-based storage solutions through server and storage OEMs, sTec has added highly experienced channel partners and broadened the technical and market expertise of its direct sales force, delivering a team of professionals with extensive backgrounds in enterprise storage. These additions serve to expand sTec's reach into the enterprise and in key vertical markets, including oil and gas, federal government, telecommunications, financial services, cloud, and social media.  

Transforming Data Centers with Added Expertise, Expanded Sales Channels

With its newly expanded global reach and vertical-market expertise, sTec is now strategically organized to best serve the enterprise storage industry as it undergoes a significant transformation. Market research indicates that enterprise storage is rapidly shifting to scalable architectures tailored toward specific applications that depend less on pre-configured servers and other storage systems. sTec's new direct-to-user approach supports the tailored data-center model by providing IT professionals access to its enterprise-class solid-state drives (SSDs) and software, and specialized sTec® application and storage market expertise.

"The enterprise storage market is undergoing a transformation in which organizations are looking beyond general-purpose solutions for their infrastructures and toward a customized installation for high-end, data-driven applications and workloads," said Jeff Janukowicz, research director, Solid State Drives and Enabling Technologies at IDC. "We estimate that by 2016 just under half of all enterprise storage capacity shipped will be through non-system OEM channels, which include shipments directly to hyperscale cloud data centers, ODMs, and specialized system integrators, presenting a clear opportunity for providers that can offer a variety of storage solutions geared toward specific vertical deployments and application requirements."

Addressing the new market landscape, sTec's restructured organization includes over 50 new professionals from industry-leading storage vendors with extensive experience developing customized solutions for data centers. The expanded sales infrastructure complements the company's comprehensive channel program, and dramatically broadens enterprises' direct access to sTec's well-established solid-state storage solutions. sTec is further expanding its global channel program through partners with particular expertise and proximity to the company's customers, enabling it to best serve its targeted vertical markets.

"As the company that has shipped more SSDs to the enterprise than any other supplier, we have the unique capability to provide critical application knowledge and experience to solve our customers' most critical issues," said Ali Zadeh, corporate senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and general manager of the Systems and Software Group, sTec. "While there will always be enterprise environments based on turn-key storage solutions, today many IT managers must tailor their data center infrastructures to suit specific applications and workloads. With our recently expanded portfolio of solid-state storage solutions and new vertical-market and applications expertise, sTec is the ideal solutions provider to address the emerging tailored data center model."

Industry-Wide Endorsements

"We required a storage solution that could not only meet our hardware demands, but also combine several SSD formats with caching software that improved performance and manageability," said Daniel Iniguez, IT Manager, NYX Cosmetics, an international cosmetics maker. "sTec's SSDs have exceeded our expectations and, working in tandem with EnhanceIO™, address high storage loads and caching without fail."

"sTec has an incomparable reputation in SSD solutions, which complement our hypervisor software exceptionally well," said Carlos Carreras, vice president, alliances and business development, DataCore Software, a leader in hypervisor storage software.

"The government markets that Norseman serves demand fast, reliable, solid-state storage solutions backed by a commitment to customer service," said Justin Bonner, chief executive officer, Norseman Defense Technologies, an IT solutions integrator and consultant. "sTec has shown its value in partner loyalty and responsiveness, and we are proud to offer their innovative solutions to our customers."

About sTec, Inc.

sTec, Inc. is a leading global provider of enterprise-class solid-state storage solutions designed for the ever-growing performance, reliability and endurance requirements of today's advanced data centers. The industry's first company to deploy solid-state drives (SSDs) into large-scale enterprise environments, sTec offers the industry's widest range of solid-state storage solutions, which protect critical information for major business and government organizations worldwide. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, sTec also serves the embedded and military/aerospace markets with SSDs for industrial and rugged environments. For more information, visit www.stec-inc.com.

sTec, the sTec logo and EnhanceIO are either registered trademarks or trademarks of sTec, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries.  All other trademarks or brand names referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those statements concerning sTec's reach into the enterprise and vertical markets, including oil and gas, federal government, telecommunications, financial services, cloud, and social media; sTec's global channel program; new sales and marketing infrastructure; the shift in enterprise storage towards scalable and tailored architectures; the transformation of the enterprise storage industry in general; and sales of SSDs to the enterprise. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements are detailed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, made from time to time by sTec, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its subsequent Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on the Investor Relations section of sTec's website at www.stec-inc.com. The information contained in this press release is a statement of sTec's present intentions, beliefs or expectations. sTec may change its intentions, beliefs or expectations, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, from sTec 's assumptions and otherwise. Except as required by law, sTec undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date thereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.