StoneFly Networks and McDATA Cost Effectively Consolidate Servers for iSCSI Storage Provisioning

McDATA's OPENready Certification of StoneFly's Storage Concentrator Ensures Interoperability of Integrated IP SAN Solution SAN DIEGO, Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- StoneFly Networks(TM), Inc., the innovator of iSCSI-based storage provisioning appliances, today announced a strategic partnership with McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDTA/MCDT) to provide cost-effective storage provisioning with an Internet Protocol (IP) SAN through local aggregation and server consolidation. As part of this announcement, StoneFly's flagship product, the Storage Concentrator, has been certified under McDATA's OPENready(R) Partner Interoperability Program. The McDATA/StoneFly solution leverages iSCSI technology to provide IT departments with an ideal way to harness the benefits of existing SAN technology investments in servers and storage. Both StoneFly and McDATA products are available immediately through Dell Inc. as part of the company's Software & Peripherals (S&P) program. The combined solution lets organizations pool storage into a single, centrally managed, enterprise-wide SAN and then connects departmental servers to this SAN. Key components include McDATA's Sphereon(TM) family of Fabric Switches, which provide on-demand connectivity for SAN environments of all sizes, and StoneFly's Storage Concentrator(TM), an iSCSI-based storage provisioning appliance, which enables real-time management and optimization of IP SANs. "In typical enterprise IT environments, servers may be isolated and experiencing uneven storage resource allocation," said Bob Preston, vice president of marketing for StoneFly Networks. "By aligning with McDATA, a worldwide leader in open storage networking, we are offering a simple and affordable way for customers to consolidate servers and implement storage provisioning through an IP SAN." "Ensuring seamless interoperability for customers with blended technology environments is one of the reasons McDATA established its OPENready Interoperability Partner Program," said Mark Stratton, director of solutions and alliances, McDATA. "Today's server and storage consolidation announcement follows StoneFly's recent completion of a comprehensive qualification process to achieve OPENready Tested Partner status. By awarding this status to an iSCSI industry pioneer such as StoneFly, we are opening the door for customers to fulfill the promise of storage provisioning through an integrated approach." According to John Webster, senior analyst and founder of Data Mobility Group, a Nashua, N.H.-based market research and advisory firm specializing in storage and data management, the use of blended storage networking technologies fulfills a critical market need for SANs to encompass all workgroups and isolated servers. "The StoneFly/McDATA strategic partnership underscores growing market requirements for integrating storage networking technologies with IP SANs, providing a lower cost entry point to universal, centralized access to all storage, regardless of whether the interconnection is Fibre Channel or iSCSI," he said. "Furthermore, by selling this solution through the Dell channel, the two companies are offering widespread availability." StoneFly Storage Concentrators are standards-based and provide a high level of performance and business continuity features. The Storage Concentrator i3000 is priced starting at $13,995, including StoneFly Replicator(TM) mirroring to ensure data replication for disaster recovery planning. The i3000 is also available as a FailOver cluster for high availability priced starting at $19,995. The company also offers complete plug-and-play Scalable IP SANs, which include Storage Concentrators, interoperable iSCSI initiators and ATA disk arrays in configurations ranging from 1TB to 10.5TB of storage -- priced at less than one cent per megabyte. About StoneFly Networks, Inc. StoneFly Networks, Inc., based in San Diego, is the innovator of iSCSI- based storage provisioning appliances that enable optimization of Internet Protocol Storage Area Networks (IP SANs). Shipping since June 2002, Storage Concentrators have been installed across key vertical markets, including insurance, healthcare, education, government, financial services and manufacturing. StoneFly Storage Concentrators combine the functionality of an iSCSI router, bridge and a powerful provisioning engine to provide logical volume management, business continuity, and disaster recovery planning. StoneFly products require no specialized expertise to install, and are fully interoperable with leading operating systems, iSCSI initiators, and storage arrays. StoneFly Networks is a member of the Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA) and the founding member of the IP Storage Institute (IPSI). For more information, please visit http://www.stonefly.com. StoneFly Networks and Storage Concentrators are property of StoneFly Networks, Inc. All other company and product names contained herein are property of their respective owners.