Testing was performed by a team of CRN Test Center Engineers and an invited reseller, Bowne & Co. Inc. For the review entitled, "Autoloaders: Insurance for the Enterprise," the CRN Test Center looked at ADIC's FastStor/b DLT7000 Office, Breece Hill's Q2.15, HP's SureStore/b DLT Autoloader 418, Overland's LoaderXpress 710, Qualstar's TLS-6110 and Quantum's PowerStore/b L200. In its coverage of the LoaderXpress CRN noted, "Given the relative ease of installation of this product and the reasonable cost, the LoaderXpress could well serve as a cornerstone product for networking VARs."
CRN evaluated the DLT autoloaders for ease of set up/ease of use, performance, storage density, cost effectiveness and value-added bundling. In four of the five categories, Overland's LoaderXpress scored marks of excellence and one above average.
CRN noted that autoloaders are a key element of enterprise data security and that growth is expected to accelerate with Windows NT 5.0 debut. Robert Abraham, vice president of Freeman Associates, concurred and said, "While the DLT autoloader represents only a $150 million market, it is clearly the tape technology of choice. It is a hot technology, and rightly so because it has very good attributes, primarily speed, reliability and price."
Overland's LoaderXpress 710 was described as "A reasonably priced, great performer and easier to work with than any of the other units in this roundup." Other comments from CRN were: "At a bargain price ($10,995 with DLT7000 drive), the Overland LoaderXpress offers the second highest amount of storage capacity of the products appearing in this roundup. The autoloader is appointed with simple, yet effective robotics, an easy-to-use tape loading mechanism and the second lowest power dissipation of the units reviewed. The door for the magazine is automatically secured by an electronic lock, which can be disengaged or password-protected using the operator control panel. The control panel features four buttons, four LED indicators and a four-row, 20-column display."
As for Overland's reseller strategy and support, CRN had the following comments, "The company also has a great story to tell in the channel. Resellers get leads that are not only qualified but, in the lingo of the company, are 'washed before it goes downstream in order to avoid wasting the reseller's time.' Two interesting marketing items not seen in other vendors' programs are Web-based request-a-quote service for end users and banner advertisements on several major portals."
The CRN review is the first comparative autoloader review, and the first Editors' Choice won for the LoaderXpress, which began shipping in January of this year. Overland's LibraryXpress(tm) DLT library, however, has won seven prestigious awards since its introduction 18 months ago.
LoaderXpress, an affordable desktop automated DLT solution that makes loading single tapes a thing of the past, delivers native storage capacity that permits the average PC server to be backed up for up to two months without any operator intervention at a price point that is close to standalone DLT subsystems. The LoaderXpress is available in three models to address the capacity and performance needs of the full range of workgroup, departmental and small enterprise computing environments with native disk capacity from 15 gigabytes up to 100 gigabytes. LoaderXpress unit pricing starts at only $4,995, $1,000 less than competitive products, (making it the first to break the $5,000 barrier for DLT automation).
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(tm) architecture that establishes new standards for intelligent automated storage and scalability, and the Variable Rate Randomizer (VR2 tm) data encoding technology that can significantly increase the capacity and throughput of linear tape formats.
Overland has also earned a worldwide reputation for unmatched product quality and innovative warranty programs such as the recently announced Guaranteed Up Time Service (GUTS tm) 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.
Except for the factual statements made herein, the information contained in this news release consists of forward looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. 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, the timing and market acceptance of new product introductions by the company and its competitors, and general competition and price pressures in the marketplace. 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.
NOTE /a: DLT is a claimed trademark of Quantum Corp. worldwide. NOTE /b: A trademark or trade name of an entity other than Overland Data.
--30--LES/la* WAM/la
CONTACT: Overland Data Inc., San Diego
619/571-5555
http://www.overlanddata.com
Product Information:
Steve Richardson
E-mail: srichardson@overlanddata.com
Investor Relations:
Scott McClendon
E-mail: smcclendon@overlanddata.com
Vernon LoForti
E-mail: vioforti@overlanddata.com
or
JPR Communications
Judy Smith, 818/386-0403
E-mail: jprcommun@aol.com
Home Page: http://www.jprcom.com
