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The Beck Group Implements Graphic Intensive VDI Deployment with HVE Solution from Sphere 3D

March 23, 2017
Storied pioneer in the building industry continues to innovate with adoption of VDI optimized for GPU workloads

SAN JOSE, Calif., March 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ:ANY), a containerization, virtualization, and data management solutions provider, today announced that The Beck Group has successfully implemented an HVE solution for its Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), including VDI for GPU intensive workloads.

From the tallest building in Shreveport: The Slattery Building (1923), to the iconic Fountain Place in Dallas (1986), to the Texas Motor Speedway (1997), to The University of Texas at Dallas Engineering Building (2016), The Beck Group has been transforming the landscape through innovation in the building design and construction industry for over 100 years.

The Information Technology (IT) available for the construction industry has also gone through a transformation over the last 100 years with the introduction of sophisticated applications for computer aided design (CAD), building information modeling (BIM), and other advanced technologies. However, until now, these technologies required the ability to access powerful workstations that are stationary and required to be managed as individual instances.

For The Beck Group, the move to VDI provided the ability to manage continued organic growth, enable the IT department to more easily support remote sites and mobile workers while they were out on jobs, and provide greater security since data no longer is stored on edge devices.

The inclusion of the HVE 3DGFX appliances for running CAD applications in a VDI environment not only provides all the advantages of VDI for traditional workloads, but is also a powerful server based computing environment for CAD applications. CAD data is processed by the server and then streamed as an image to the client device over the network. Despite higher volumes of network traffic, the load on individual client terminals is significantly reduced. The CAD data processed by the server enables more effective utilization of compute resources with faster rendering times and staff have access to their workloads from any device, anywhere.

Beck looked at solutions from other providers before evaluating the HVE 3DGFX solution, which leverages NVIDIA GPU technology, and VMware ESXi and Horizon View. The Beck Group chose HVE and worked closely with the HVE team to implement five HVE 3DGFX appliances. Equipped with the latest generation Intel processors and powerful NVIDIA Tesla GPU, the HVE appliances deliver excellent performance to meet The Beck Group’s stringent VDI needs.

With the initial deployment complete, The Beck Group intends to continue to scale its environment to provide a virtual desktop for 700 users with about a third of them running GPU workloads.

Quotes

“This was something I have wanted to do for a long time here at Beck and until the HVE solution, there was nothing on the market that met our 3D graphical needs or provided a simple, stable VDI environment.  I wanted something simple and easy to manage.  If it was complicated, it was out of our discussion,” stated Bryce Morrow, CIO of Beck Group. “Our testing went flawlessly with our users and the performance and reliability have been exceptional.” 

Joseph O’Daniel, President of Virtualization and Professional Services at Sphere 3D, stated, “Located in Dallas myself, I can’t travel very far without passing a project completed by Beck Group. We are delighted to have the opportunity to provide them with a high availability VDI solution to support their operations and increase staff efficiency as they move into their second centennial of operations in the building industry.”

About HVE
HVE ConneXions, recently acquired by Sphere 3D, is a fast-growing technology provider of next generation converged and hyperconverged infrastructure. Its engineering philosophy is dedicated to creating Manageable, Scalable, Reproducible, and Predictable (MSRP) solutions based on proven virtualization technologies running on high-performance, next generation platforms. For more information and technical specifications on the HVE product line, visit www.hveconnexions.com.

About Sphere 3D
Sphere 3D Corp. (NASDAQ:ANY) delivers containerization, virtualization, and data management solutions via hybrid cloud, cloud and on-premises implementations through its global reseller network and professional services organization. Sphere 3D, along with its wholly owned subsidiaries Overland Storage, and Tandberg Data, has a strong portfolio of brands, including HVE ConneXions and UCX ConneXions, dedicated to helping customers achieve their IT goals. For more information, visit www.sphere3d.com. Follow us on Twitter @Sphere3D, @overlandstorage, and @tandbergdata.

Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of risks and uncertainties, including the decision by our customers to continue to purchase our products and services; our inability to comply with the covenants in our credit facilities or to obtain additional debt or equity financing; any increase in our future cash needs; our ability to successfully integrate the UCX and HVE ConneXions business with Sphere 3D's other businesses;  our ability to regain compliance with the NASDAQ minimum closing bid price requirement between now and July 31, 2017; our inability to take other actions to regain compliance with the NASDAQ minimum closing bid price requirement; our ability to maintain compliance with other NASDAQ Capital Market listing requirements; unforeseen changes in the course of Sphere 3D’s business or the business of its wholly-owned subsidiaries, including, without limitation, Overland Storage and Tandberg Data; market adoption and performance of our products; the level of success of our collaborations and business partnerships; possible actions by customers, partners, suppliers, competitors or regulatory authorities; and other risks detailed from time to time in Sphere 3D’s periodic reports contained in our Annual Information Form and other filings with Canadian securities regulators (www.sedar.com) and in prior periodic reports filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (www.sec.gov). Sphere 3D undertakes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.

Media Contact:
Tina Brown
Tel: +1 408-283-4731
media.relations@sphere3d.com

Investor Contact:
The Blueshirt Group
Mike Bishop
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mike@blueshirtgroup.com

Sphere 3D Corporation