SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 9, 1999--Overland Data Inc. (NASDAQ:OVRL), a technology leader in scalable storage and backup products, today announced the LibraryPro(TM), the industry's first Advanced Intelligent Tape(TM) (AIT) library that can be customized and scaled according to individual needs for capacity and performance.
Supplied by Sony Electronics, AIT systems offer the highest data transfer rate, cartridge capacity and the longest head life of all mid-range backup systems in their price class.
Overland's LibraryPro incorporates robotics based on the company's innovative and highly reliable LibraryXpress(TM) design, which provides modular plug-and-play scalability, and which has won more than 15 editorial awards worldwide, unmatched by any other automated data storage product.
"The introduction of the first scalable AIT library demonstrates Overland's leadership position as an industry innovator," stated Scott McClendon, Overland's President and CEO. "The LibraryPro also demonstrates our commitment to achieving growth by delivering storage automation solutions based on latest-generation technologies, including SDLT, LTO, SLR and AIT, and by pursuing potential strategic initiatives targeting emerging storage market opportunities. With the LibraryPro, Overland has further strengthened its position with the departmental and enterprise segments of the market."
The LibraryPro can be ordered with one or two AIT drives, holds 17 cartridges and boasts Mainframe Class(TM) robotics. It is available with up to 10 AIT-1.5 or AIT-2 drives, when configured with five modules. Available in desktop or rackmount configurations, the five module LibraryPro provides up to 4.25 TB of native capacity, with data transfer speeds of 6 MB per second, and up to 216 GB per hour. The LibraryPro supports the broadest choices in storage management software and operating platforms.
To enable the addition or removal of a data cartridge installed in a tape magazine during unit operation, Overland's AIT LibraryPro provides a convenient single-cartridge I/O port/mail slot. It can be password protected to ensure that magazine access remains secure.
The flexible SmartScale Storage(R) architecture of the LibraryPro allows customers to start with one module. Capacity and performance can then be scaled upward based on individual customer requirements by easily adding LibraryPro modules to create an ultimate multi-terabyte automated storage solution, protecting customer hardware investment.
According to Overland's Vice President of Marketing Steve Richardson, "We are taking the same reliability, performance and innovative architecture of our current LibraryXpress product and making it available to our channel customers who are requesting AIT technology. The LibraryPro is the first AIT library offering to provide true flexibility in an easily expandable product to meet user needs. Our goal is to establish the LibraryPro as the product of choice for any corporate user looking to automate utilizing AIT technology."
"AIT-based scalable library systems are absolutely on target with the demands we have been seeing for mid- to high-end enterprise backup applications in providing new levels of capacity, performance and data integrity," said John Woelbern, Senior Marketing Manager of Tape Streamer Products for Sony Electronics' Computer Components & Peripherals Division. "The LibraryPro, with the data storage density and performance advantages of AIT, fits all of these requirements and more."
The LibraryPro will be available in December, with a manufacturer's suggested retail price under $10,000, and is covered by Overland's XchangeNOW(TM) program, which provides for immediate replacement if an issue cannot be resolved by Overland Technical Support over the phone. Optional on-site service is also available. It is also covered by Overland's GUTS(TM) program, guaranteeing 99% uptime performance and 100% data recovery.
About Overland
Overland is a global supplier of storage automation solutions and related technologies designed to meet and surpass the critical requirements of high-availability network computing environments, from entry level to the enterprise. The company is a recognized leader in technology innovation for such achievements as the award-winning DLT LibraryXpress SmartScale Storage architecture (patent No. 5,285,333) that establishes new standards for intelligent automated storage and scalability.
Overland pioneered the scalable library concept with the introduction of the LibraryXpress, and the modular scalability of this innovative design has been embraced by more than 15,000 users worldwide, making the LibraryXpress not only the most versatile tape library platform available today, but also one of the most successful. Overland's patented (No. 5,815,514) Variable Rate Randomizer (VR2) data encoding technology that can significantly increase the capacity and throughput of linear tape formats.
Overland has also earned a worldwidereputation for unmatched product quality and innovative warranty programs such as the Guaranteed Up Time Service (GUTS) Program that dramatically reduce the total cost of ownership. The company's award-winning products meet the critical needs of end users, distributors and OEMs in industries worldwide.
Advanced Intelligent Tape is a trademark of Sony Electronics. DLT and DLTtape are registered trademarks of Quantum Corp. Others are trademarks or trade names of their respective owners.
Editor's Note: Overland will be demonstrating the LibraryPro at Comdex at the Alexis Park Resort. To schedule an appointment with Overland, contact JPR Communications, 818/386-0403, or email jprcommun@aol.com.
Except for the factual statements made herein, the information contained in this news release consists of forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Words and expressions reflecting optimism and satisfaction with current prospects, as well as words such as "believe," "intends," "expects," "plans," "anticipates," and variations thereof, identify forward-looking statements, but their absence does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. Such forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance, and the company's actual results could differ materially from those contained in such statements. Factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include unexpected shortages of critical components, rescheduling or cancellation of customer orders, loss of a major customer, the timing and market acceptance of new product introductions by the company and its competitors, general competition and price pressures in the marketplace, and the company's ability to control costs and expenses. Reference is also made to other factors set forth in the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including the "Risk Factors," "Management's Discussion and Analysis" and other sections of the company's Form 10-K for the most recently completed fiscal year. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this release, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, events or circumstances after the date of this release.
