NEW YORK, May 5, 1999 -- Hewlett-Packard Company and Hitachi, Ltd.,
in conjunction with its global marketing arm, Hitachi Data Systems, today
announced joint technology and original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
agreements for enterprise-storage subsystems directed at the burgeoning
enterprise-storage and storage area network (SAN) markets. The announcement
was made here at a press conference.
Joint Technology Agreement (JTA)
HP and Hitachi, Ltd. have had a very successful nine-year technology
relationship, starting with development cooperation in the areas of PA-RISC(1),
UNIX(R) systems and HP-UX(2). This JTA expands these areas of collaboration to
include enterprise-storage solutions.
Under the terms of the JTA, HP and Hitachi, Ltd. research and development
organizations already have started to cooperate on the design, development and
enhancement of enterprise-storage projects. Initial results of this agreement are
incorporated into the HP SureStore E Disk Array MC256 (see today's related
announcement). Future efforts will cover a broad range of storage, SAN and
storage-management products. These efforts will result in products that may be
manufactured by HP or Hitachi, Ltd.
OEM Agreement
Under the terms of the three-year OEM agreement, HP will OEM Hitachi,
Ltd.'s high-end array technology products, cooperatively enhancing them with
HP-contributed firmware and Fibre Channel technology for improved open-system
performance, support for system consolidation and SAN interoperability. HP also
will OEM several storage-management applications to enable local and remote
data mirroring, interoperating system data transfers, and centralized array
management. HP will integrate this software into its new HP SureStore E Storage
Node Manager software as well as HP OpenView OmniBack II software to deliver
zero-downtime backup solutions for SAP and Oracle(R) applications.
HP also will leverage Hitachi, Ltd.'s high-quality manufacturing facilities
and efficient supply-chain management, allowing optimized availability and
flexibility in delivering tailored MC256-based solutions to enterprise customers.
The MC256 will be the premier multiplatform high-end solution in the
HP SureStore E storage product family. The HP SureStore E product line
promises enterprise customers "Stress-Free Storage ... Guaranteed" and is tightly
integrated with HP Equation SAN-based, intelligent-storage architecture, also
announced today.
Furthermore, Hitachi Data Systems was named an authorized value-added
reseller in a number of countries for the MC256 as well as other HP
Equation-based storage solutions, allowing Hitachi Data Systems customers access
to the benefits of the MC256.
"With storage availability and storage networks so crucial to IT strategy, HP
is providing its customers with the industry's strongest line of storage solutions for
the enterprise," said Bill Russell, executive vice president and chief operating
officer of Enterprise Computing Solutions. "Working with Hitachi, Ltd. will
enable us to deliver an unmatched high-end disk array that meets our customers'
high-availability expectations. The centralized manageability, high-performance
design and open architecture of the MC256 make it ideal for customers that are
deploying enterprise-storage solutions."
"This alliance leverages the complementary strengths of Hitachi, Ltd. and
HP. Together, we will deliver the best enterprise-storage technology for the
increasingly heterogeneous computing environment," said Masaaki Hayashi,
Hitachi, Ltd.'s senior corporate officer and group president of the Computer
Products Group. "Customers can now rest assured that their valuable information
resources are continually available and protected."
"I believe that this agreement is absolutely the right thing for HP and its
enterprise customers," said David Hill, senior analyst with Aberdeen Group. "HP
has continually demonstrated that it is committed to doing whatever it believes is
in the best interest of its storage customers. Hitachi, Ltd. is a great choice as the
core engine to help provide an open, high-end disk array for customers' future
high-availability needs."
About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading
global technology companies, with fiscal 1997 (ended March 31, 1998)
consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($63.8 billion*). The company
manufactures and markets a wide range of products, including computers,
semiconductors, consumer products and power and industrial equipment. For
more information on Hitachi, Ltd., please visit Hitachi, Ltd.'s Web site at
http://www.hitachi.co.jp.
* At an exchange rate of 132 yen to the dollar.
About Hitachi Data Systems
Recognized as a leading provider of business solutions for the world's most
IT-intensive corporations, Hitachi Data Systems offers a global professional
services division, multiplatform storage subsystems, and the industry's broadest
line of high-performance servers. The company's extensive range of products and
services, coupled with its business alliances with key industry leaders, enable it to
translate technology into enterprise-wide solutions for high-end and middle-market
customers. Hitachi Data Systems is owned by Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) and has
its headquarters in Santa Clara, California. For further information on Hitachi
Data Systems, access http://www.hds.com. Hitachi Data Systems press releases
are available at http://www.hds.com/news/press.html.
About HP
Hewlett-Packard Company -- a leading global provider of computing and
imaging solutions and services for business and home -- is focused on capitalizing
on the opportunities of the Internet and the proliferation of electronic services. HP
had computer-related revenue of $39.5 billion in its 1998 fiscal year.
HP plans to launch a new company ("NewCo") consisting of its
industry-leading test-and-measurement, components, chemical-analysis and
medical businesses. These businesses represented $7.6 billion of HP's total
revenue in fiscal 1998. With leading positions in multiple market segments, this
technology-based company will focus on high-growth opportunities such as
communications and life sciences.
HP has 122,800 employees worldwide and had total revenue of $47.1 billion
in its 1998 fiscal year. Information about HP, its products and the company's
Year 2000 program can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.hp.com.
(1) PA-RISC stands for Precision Architecture-reduced-instruction-set computing.
(2) HP-UX Release 10.20 and later and HP-UX Release 11.00 and later (in both
32- and 64-bit configurations) on all HP 9000 computers are Open Group UNIX 95
branded products.
UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group.
Oracle is a registered U.S. trademark of Oracle Corporation, Redwood City,
California.
CONTACT:
Jenny Shelton Terry Kubo
Cunningham Communication, Inc. for HP Hitachi America for Hitachi, Ltd.
(650) 858-3778 (650) 244-7900
jshelton@ccipr.com tatsuya.kubo@hal.hitachi.com
Susan Etlinger
The Weber Group for Hitachi Data Systems
(650) 463-8659
setlinger@ca.webergroup.com
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