ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 27, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- STORAGE NETWORKING WORLD -- QLogic Corp. (Nasdaq:QLGC), the company that powers storage area networks (SANs), today launched an initiative to simplify and lower the cost of SANs for small and medium enterprises (SME). With the support of HP, Intel, LSI Logic, Microsoft and Seagate, the company is demonstrating its new SME products at Storage Networking World in Orlando including; SANbox 5200, the industry's first stackable Fibre Channel switch featuring installation and zoning wizards for breakthrough ease-of-use; SANsurfer(r) VDS Manager(tm), a Windows application providing one user interface for any disk array; and the SAN Connectivity Kit for Windows Server 2003, a turnkey SAN in a box.
"The benefits of storage networking are clear, but customers are challenged by the costs and complexities of SAN deployment and management," said Chris Phillips, general manager of the Enterprise Storage Division at Microsoft. "Microsoft Windows Server 2003, combined with products from QLogic and its partners, allows IT managers to build and operate SANs more easily and efficiently.
Small and Medium Enterprises Need Simple, Low Cost SANs
Small and medium businesses represent a large untapped market for storage networks. According to IDC, more than 7 million entry-level servers will ship to small, medium and large enterprises by 2006, representing more than 95% of all server shipments. Prior to the introduction of Windows Server 2003, SAN deployments for entry-level servers in small and medium enterprises amounted to complex and expensive integration projects. The new SAN facilities native to Windows Server 2003 are expected to catalyze mass adoption of SANs in small and medium enterprises.
QLogic Uses Windows Server 2003 as a Platform for Simple, Low Cost SANs
By supporting the SAN facilities available in Windows Server 2003, QLogic developed a family of products that enable IT professionals in small and medium businesses to more easily and cost-effectively build SANs. QLogic will unveil the following new products at SNW for building simple, low cost SANS with Windows Server 2003:
-- SAN Connectivity Kit for Windows Server 2003 -- This turnkey
storage network is designed to give IT professionals a simple,
affordable entry to the benefits of SANs. At just $6,999 MSRP,
the SAN Connectivity Kit for Windows Server 2003 includes a
SANbox Fibre Channel switch, 4 SANblade Fibre Channel HBAs and
SANsurfer Management Suite software with VDS Manager. Also
included is Windows StorPort drivers, cables, and small form
factor pluggables (SFPs) -- everything small and medium
businesses need to begin networking storage. Available later in
2003, the SAN Connectivity Kit for Windows Server 2003 is on
display at the QLogic booth at Storage Networking World.
-- SANsurfer VDS Manager -- A software application that provides
Windows administrators with one user interface for any disk
array. Designed for administrators that require simple
deployment, the application complements the Windows VDS Command
Line Interface (CLI) with a graphical user interface (GUI) for
point-and-click discovery of servers and multi-vendor disk
arrays, configuration of RAID levels, and configuration of
logical volumes. SANsurfer Management Suite with VDS Manager
will ship with every QLogic HBA, switch and SAN Connectivity Kit
for Windows 2003 and will be downloadable from QLogic.com. At
SNW, QLogic will demonstrate SANsurfer VDS Manager with VDS
hardware provider software agents and disk arrays from HP, LSI
and Xiotech, as well as low-cost Fibre Channel disk drives from
Seagate.
-- SANbox(tm) 5200 Stackable Fibre Channel Switch -- With the
introduction of the SANbox 5200 stackable switch, the company is
first to market with stackable Fibre Channel switches for SME
featuring a low cost of entry, breakthrough simplicity and
enterprise-class performance. Capitalizing on the same features
that made stackable IP switches the best selling type of IP
switch, the SANbox 5200 can scale from a low-cost 8-port
configuration making it affordable to the smallest enterprise.
Plus with installation and zoning wizards, configuration is so
simple that SAN expertise is not required. The Qlogic
demonstration at SNW features SANbox 5200 wizard-based
configuration and 10Gb performance using XPAK technology from
Intel.
Powered by QLogic
Since 1993, over 45 million QLogic products have shipped inside servers, workstations, RAID subsystems, tape libraries, disk and tape drives. These products were delivered to small, medium and large enterprises around the world. Powering solutions from leading companies like Cisco, Dell, EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, IBM, Network Appliance, Quantum, StorageTek and Sun Microsystems, the broad line of QLogic controller chips, host bus adapters, network switches and management software move data from storage devices through the network fabric to servers. A member of the S&P 500 and NASDAQ 100, QLogic was recently named to Business Week's list of 100 Hot Growth Companies for 2003. In addition, QLogic was named to Forbes' Best 200 Small Companies for the fourth consecutive year and was named to Fortune's 100 Fastest Growing Companies list for the third consecutive year during fiscal year 2003. For more information visit www.qlogic.com.
Note: All QLogic-issued press releases appear on the company's web site (www.qlogic.com). Any announcement that does not appear on the QLogic web site has not been issued by QLogic.
Disclaimer- Forward Looking Statements
With the exception of historical information, the statements set forth above include forward-looking statements as defined within the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected or implied in the forward-looking statements. QLogic wishes to advise readers that these potential risks and uncertainties relate to, but are not limited to, in no particular order: the introduction of new and changing technologies in our industry and customer acceptance of those technologies; a change in semiconductor foundry capacity or conditions; fluctuations in the growth of I/O markets; fluctuations or cancellations in orders from OEM customers; QLogic's ability to compete effectively with other companies; cancellation of OEM products associated with design wins; and fluctuations in our operating results and our stock price.
More detailed information on these and additional factors which could affect QLogic's operating and financial results are described in QLogic's Forms 10-Q, 10-K and other reports, filed or to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. QLogic urges all interested parties to read these reports to gain a better understanding of the many business and other risks that QLogic faces. Additionally, QLogic undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements, which may be made to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date hereof or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Note to Editors: Trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of the companies with which they are associated.