Hitachi Data Systems Ushers in the Next Wave in Data Protection with Virtual Tape Library Solutions for Tiered Storage Environments

Customers Gain the Benefits of Tape with the Unparalleled Performance and Reliability of Hitachi Disk-Based Storage

Eliminates Redundant Data While Maintaining 100 Percent Data Integrity and Reduces Physical Storage Requirements by 25 Times or More

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — July 10, 2006 —Hitachi Data Systems, provider of Application Optimized Storage™ solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), today introduced Virtual Tape Library (VTL) by Hitachi Data Systems. Virtual Tape Library by Hitachi Data Systems is a new approach to optimized data back-up and protection made available through a global re-seller agreement with Diligent™ Technologies. As part of Hitachi’s Application Optimized Storage solutions approach – which matches specific application requirements with storage attributes – the new solution comprises scalable enterprise-class offerings that emulate tape libraries, enabling existing backup applications to use disk, rather than tape, as their backup medium.

This VTL solution for both mainframe and open systems environments allows customers to enjoy all the advantages of disk-to-disk backup without having to make changes to their existing backup environment, policies, or procedures—with a lower total cost of ownership than conventional tape library technology. Featuring Diligent’s ProtecTIER™ VT with HyperFactor™ data de-duplication technology, this VTL solution eliminates redundant data while maintaining 100 percent data integrity—radically reducing physical storage needs by up to 25 times or more.

“Fidelity National Financial has a requirement to keep our applications online 24x7, 365 days a year – with no exceptions,” said Alan Howitson, Senior Storage Engineer at Fidelity National Technology Services. “The Virtual Tape Library by Hitachi Data Systems enabled Fidelity to create backups of its databases without taking the applications offline – saving us time, money and most importantly, any potential negative impact on our customers. We reviewed other solutions and made the decision to go with the Hitachi Data Systems Virtual Tape Library because of the level of reliability and scalability it offers.”

The Benefits of Tape with the Performance and Reliability of Disk As organizations look to move beyond tape - currently the predominant storage medium for long-term retention-utilizing disk storage technology for backup and recovery operations has become an attractive method of improving reliability, reducing backup windows, achieving greater data throughput performance and ensuring rapid recovery. Until now, however, the migration to current disk-based solutions causes disruption and costly downtime in legacy IT systems.

The new VTL solution by Hitachi Data Systems requires no changes to existing backup policies, practices, or procedures. Because the virtual tape solutions appear to the backup application as one or many real tape libraries, the backup application accesses drives, robotics, and cartridges just as it would a physical tape library. Since the data actually resides on disk, users experience dramatic improvements to backup and recovery operations.

“Through our tiered storage solutions, we have helped our customers save time and money by enabling them to integrate less expensive storage tiers and improve overall utilization in their storage environments,” said Jack Domme, senior vice president, Global Solutions Strategy and Development, Hitachi Data Systems. “We are providing the same expertise for tape customers that are looking to improve efficiencies with disk technology. Virtual Tape Library by Hitachi Data Systems is yet another proof point in how we are changing the way our customers think about storage solutions and fundamentally altering the way they interact with, secure and store their valuable data assets for the long-term.”

“This is an outstanding opportunity for two forward-looking market leaders to work together and deliver unique enterprise-class data protection solutions to the storage market,” said Doron Kempel, chairman and CEO, Diligent Technologies. “By integrating our Data Protection software solutions into Hitachi’s offerings, Hitachi is able to offer their customers a proven, best in class, true enterprise scale solutions, as a means to cut redundant data, improve efficiency, and cut costs from overall IT infrastructure. The combination of ProtecTIER with Hitachi’s offerings allows end-users to economically utilize disk throughout the data-protection process. At the same time, the agreement significantly expands Diligent’s worldwide sales and support footprint for the industry’s leading data de-duplication technology.”

“We’ve studied tape processing extensively and we’re here to say that tape isn’t going away, but it can be improved and that’s exactly what Diligent and Hitachi Data Systems have done...improved tape processing,” said Dianne McAdam, director, Enterprise Information Assurance, The Clipper Group. “VTF Mainframe is a time proven product that allows enterprises to add disk-based backup to their environment without requiring changes to their backup processes. Hitachi Data Systems, who at one point sold and supported mainframe servers, has years of experience understanding the business and operational needs of large enterprises with mainframes. Between these two companies, there is a wealth of z/OS experience"

Innovative Storage Back-Up Solutions
“Today more than ever, it is imperative that companies have a reliable, scalable, and cost-efficient way to back up their data with little downtime or disruption to existing architectures,” said Scott Robinson, chief technology officer of Datalink, an information storage architect. “We have been deploying Diligent Technologies’ VTL technology—the foundation of Hitachi Data Systems’ new solution—for three years with exceptional results. We are impressed with how this solution provides our customers with new levels of data storage reliability, capacity, efficiency and cost-savings.”

“We are seeing VTL becoming a requisite part of the backup ecosystem,” said Tony Asaro, senior analyst, Enterprise Strategy Group. “Large enterprise companies trust Hitachi Data Systems to provide them with storage solutions and VTL is an important addition to their portfolio of products. The Diligent VTL provides a scalable solution that offers data de-duplication, which we believe is one of the most important and compelling technologies in the market today. The fact that Hitachi has embraced a VTL solution that reduces capacity requirements for backup data indicates that they want to solve customer problems and not force them to buy more hardware.”

“The biggest and perhaps most critical data management process within any IT operation continues to be the back-up of enterprise data,” said John Webster, senior analyst and founder, Data Mobility Group. “Hitachi Data Systems and Diligent have partnered often in the past to deliver virtual tape solutions that now leverage both companies’ significant contributions to state-of-the-art data backup and restoration.”

Hitachi Data Systems offers Virtual Tape Library Solutions with VTF™ Open, and ProtecTIER VT for Open Systems environments; and VTF Mainframe for mainframe environments. Virtual Tape Library Solutions by Hitachi Data Systems works seamlessly with all major computer platforms and operating systems, including various versions of UNIX®, Microsoft Windows, and mainframe systems.

As a complement to the VTL solution, Hitachi Data Systems is introducing a suite of Backup Assessment Services that will identify and reduce risks with existing backup processes, enable customers to align their backup environment with their strategic business objectives, service-level agreements and standard operating procedures and implement the right solution to satisfy the customers’ backup and restore requirements.
About Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems leverages global R&D resources to develop storage solutions built on industry-leading technology with the performance, availability and scalability to maximize customers’ ROI and minimize their risk. By focusing on the customer’s perspective as we apply the best hardware, software, and services from Hitachi and our partners, we uniquely satisfy our customers’ business needs.

With approximately 2,900 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct and indirect channels in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.hds.com.
About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 356,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2005 (ended March 31, 2006) consolidated sales totaled 9,464 billion yen ($80.9 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachi.com.

© 2006, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. Application Optimized Storage is a trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trade names, trademarks, and service marks used herein are the rightful property of their respective owners.

Contact Information

Mary Ann Gallo

Press Contact

Hitachi Data Systems Corporation

Contact via E-mail