LeftHand SAN Receives Designed for Windows® Logo Qualification
LeftHand Networks Working with Leading Vendors to Accelerate iSCSI Adoption

Boulder, Colorado, November 19, 2003 —LeftHand Networks™, a leading provider of complete, integrated IP storage area network (SAN) solutions, today joined with numerous storage vendors in announcing iSCSI qualification under the Designed for Windows® Logo program. The LeftHand SAN has passed the necessary tests to help ensure interoperability with the Windows platform, and specifically with the Microsoft iSCSI software initiator. Widespread vendor adoption of the standards-based iSCSI protocol will simplify user implementations and speed adoption of IP-based storage.

The Microsoft iSCSI architecture will be the first iSCSI connectivity option supported by LeftHand, providing customers a standards-based protocol for IP SAN implementations supporting Windows 2000 and 2003-based applications. The LeftHand Networks IP SAN provides a full set of SAN services, including centralized storage management, virtualization, non-disruptive scalability, automated failover, local and remote replication, snapshot, and automated data migration. Complete SAN functionality will be available to customers who choose to utilize iSCSI as the communication protocol.

“Customers benefit from broad vendor support of standards,” said Zane Adam, director of product management and marketing for the Enterprise Storage Division at Microsoft. “We’re pleased that the robust LeftHand SAN is one of the first iSCSI solutions to be qualified as part of the Designed for Windows logo program for iSCSI hardware devices.”

Existing customers using LeftHand’s current driver and protocol, Advanced Ethernet Block Storage (AEBS), will have the option to continue to use AEBS, move to iSCSI, or intermix application servers running AEBS and iSCSI within their IP SAN.

LeftHand Networks also recently announced a definitive agreement with Microsoft to license Windows Storage Server 2003. LeftHand will develop a network-attached storage (NAS) head based on Windows Storage Server 2003 to seamlessly integrate file services into its LeftHand SAN solution. Many current LeftHand customers are using their IP SAN to support file sharing by using a file server as a front-end to the SAN. The Windows Storage Server-based product will allow customers to use a product sourced and supported by LeftHand to enable file sharing.

The LeftHand Networks IP SAN offers all the benefits of full-featured networked storage, in a simple, integrated solution:

The LeftHand SAN consists of SAN/iQ Distributed Storage Matrix (DSM) SAN software and Network Storage Module (NSM) hardware. Pricing for the LeftHand SAN starts below $20,000 for a complete, fully featured solution. LeftHand Networks has over 200 installations in multiple industries, including Fortune 1000 and mid-size companies in manufacturing, healthcare and life sciences, as well as governmental organizations and universities.

About LeftHand Networks

LeftHand Networks is a network storage company located in Boulder, Colorado, a leading area for both storage and networking innovation. LeftHand Networks re-defined shared network storage in 2002 with the introduction of the first full-featured IP storage area network (SAN). By building a SAN utilizing the existing Ethernet infrastructure, the LeftHand Networks solution eliminates the learning curve, expensive fibre channel components, and complexity associated with fibre channel SANs. The LeftHand SAN is ideal for Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, server consolidation, local or geographic disaster recovery, or disk-to-disk backup projects.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software -- any time, any place and on any device.