SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 12, 1999--Overland Data Inc. (Nasdaq:OVRL), a technology leader in data storage and backup products, Tuesday announced that Genome Therapeutics (Nasdaq:GENE), a trailblazer in the developing field of genomics, has selected Overland's award-winning DLT (a) LibraryXpress(tm) for its centralized DLTtape (a) backup solution.
The selection enabled Genome to address the need for flexible, modular storage in light of the unpredictable biotech industry.
Through sponsored research, Genome Therapeutics identifies human genes associated with major diseases, develops diagnostic and preventive techniques and has pioneered many of the tools and techniques used in the genomics field today.
The ongoing volatility of the biotechnology marketplace, combined with the outdated patchwork collection of tape drives performing local and LAN-based backups, challenged Derek Kelly, Genome's computer systems and support group leader to keep its IT infrastructure current while still being mindful of fluctuating market conditions.
"Our full backups were taking longer than 24 hours. Incrementals were taking longer than we wanted, and were keeping us from getting the next day's backups ready to go on time," said Kelly. "The other problem was having a system that had to be manually dealt with every day."
With the constant upheaval in an industry as unconventional as biotechnology, Kelly needed a tape backup solution that bypassed the fixed capacity restriction of conventional automated tape libraries. Kelly researched more innovative products that delivered better value to back up a collection of 65 UNIX servers, Network Appliance NAS filers and 350 Macintosh and Windows NT workstations with a total data set of 1.5 terabytes.
Genome Therapeutics' backup configuration includes three Overland LibraryXpress 226 units with a total native capacity of 2.7 TB connected to a Sun Enterprise C250 operating as the backup server, with automated backup operations managed by Quick Restore (a) software from Workstation Solutions.
"We hear that certain storage management software is considered the standard, but given the nature of our business, we needed more innovative, responsive solutions. We look for solutions that still conform to our cost, capacity and backup window issues," he said.
Kelly also needed a centralized backup system focused on two critical hardware needs not commonly found in DLTtape libraries: modular scalability and rack-mount capability.
"Since we're uncertain with the biotech market expanding and contracting so quickly, the IT department must be able to meet demands for the long term. With Overland, they allowed us to grow and didn't try to force us into a specific-sized library with no real expansion possibilities."
The modular scalability feature of the LibraryXpress lets customers expand the library in capacity increments as small as 10 cartridges, enabling users to precisely meet their current requirements while allowing ample room for future expandability.
Conventional library manufacturers offer fixed cartridge capacities, often in very large 40- or 50-cartridge increments, forcing customers to pay for more capacity than they want, or settle for less than they need with no convenient, affordable upgrade path. Overland's unique SmartScale Storage(R) design allows additional modules to be added to increase capacity up to 4.8 TB.
Kelly's requirement of rack-mount capabilities, saving the company space and effort, was also met as Overland's LibraryXpress fits in a standard 19-inch rack. "One of the things I liked most about the Overland solution was that it didn't take up a lot of space per unit. The LibraryXpress libraries fit in our racks with less than a business card's thickness between them."
Reseller Open Systems Solutions (OSS) worked closely with Genome Therapeutics to define the optimal hardware/software configuration.
Matt Stevens, vice president of sales and marketing for Open System Solutions, said: "OSS went through an extensive period of testing and evaluation of tape backup solutions and found that Overland offers the best combination of reliability, scalability and flexibility that our enterprise customers demand. Our strong relationship with Overland is based purely upon OSS's `Best of Breed' strategy, which Overland continues to exemplify with their products and support, especially in the Network Attached Storage market."
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(tm) SmartScale Storage(R) 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 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 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.
(a) DLT is a claimed trademark of Quantum Corp. All others are trademarks or trade names of entities other than Overland.
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.
