Market Leaders Team to Expand Storage Offerings and Value Added Services
CLEVELAND, OH and SANTA CLARA, California, March 28, 2002 — Pioneer-Standard (NASDAQ: PIOS) Computer Systems Division (CSD), a leading distributor and reseller of enterprise computer systems, storage, services and solutions, and Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) today jointly announced an agreement for Pioneer-Standard CSD to deliver Hitachi Data Systems enterprise storage solutions. This agreement will expand Hitachi Data Systems' presence in the enterprise market and allow Pioneer-Standard CSD to deliver Hitachi Freedom Storage™ products, including the HiCommand™ management framework software.
"Our agreement with Hitachi Data Systems adds industry-leading storage solutions to our extensive portfolio and complements our goal of aligning with market leaders," said Bob Bailey, senior vice president, Pioneer-Standard Computer Systems Division. "The storage market offers increasingly significant opportunities for growth. We will continue to make investments in the areas of education, certification, and pre-sales support. In addition, our value-added services include a dedicated storage solutions marketing team and sales specialist focused on delivering enterprise storage solutions from Hitachi Data Systems." Pioneer-Standard/KeyLink Systems is working closely with Hitachi Data Systems because of its broad market acceptance, network of strategic alliances, and commitment to meeting the growing demands for maximum data availability, scalability, and performance. Hitachi Freedom Storage™ Lightning 9900™ Series and Thunder 9200™ systems combined with advanced function software and the HiCommand™ management framework provide leading edge enterprise storage infrastructure solutions.
"Hitachi Data Systems is committed to growing sales through our channel business. By teaming up with Pioneer-Standard/KeyLink Systems, a distribution leader, we will expand our penetration into the enterprise storage market," said Tom Valiante, vice president, Reseller Channel, Hitachi Data Systems. "Hitachi Freedom Storage systems provide the foundation for building open solutions that enable customers to reduce complexity and cost through consolidation — two key elements in successfully serving the channel community."
IDC, a global IT market intelligence and advisory firm, is forecasting steady growth for business partners and alliances in the storage market, according to IDC's Janet Waxman, program director, Systems & Storage Distribution Channels. "To compete effectively in this arena, suppliers need to engage with channel partners but must also select those that best fit the models and help portray the product and companies' market position," stated Waxman. "Hitachi Data Systems has accomplished this through its relationship with Pioneer/KeyLink, one of the top value-added distributors in the market. This selection of Pioneer/KeyLink will give solution providers access to value-added services that will allow them to better capitalize on this projected growth."
Pioneer-Standard Electronics, Inc. is a broad-line distributor of electronic components and mid-range computer products. The Company reported revenues of $2.9 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2001, which were nearly evenly split between the Industrial Electronics Division and the Computer Systems Division. A Fortune 1000 company headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Pioneer-Standard also serves international customers in Europe and Asia through its strategic partners: Taiwan-based World Peace Industrial Co. Ltd.; U.K.-based Eurodis Electron PLC; and Germany-based Magirus AG. Additional information about Pioneer-Standard can be found at www.pioneerstandard.com.
Pioneer-Standard Computer Systems Division is a leading distributor and reseller of mid-market computer solutions that is comprised of two primary business units: KeyLink Systems® and the Enterprise Sales Group. KeyLink Systems, the computer distribution business within Pioneer-Standard, distributes enterprise products from Compaq, IBM, Intel, Enterasys and Oracle, as well as other leading manufacturers to resellers. Pioneer-Standard's Enterprise Sales Group resells products from Compaq, IBM, Intel, Enterasys, and Oracle as well as other leading manufacturers, with a solution focus on Server Consolidation, e-Business, High Availability, and Storage. Additional information about the business units can be found at: KeyLink Systems at www.keylinksystems.com.
Hitachi Data Systems is a leading supplier of storage hardware, software, solutions and services. As a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), Japan's largest electronics company, HDS is committed to providing the technological infrastructure for the world's most information-intensive corporations. With 2,600 employees, Hitachi Data Systems does business in the public and private sectors in 170 countries and regions on six continents, including the rapidly emerging economies in Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies, and all of the major Storage Service Providers (SSPs). For more information, please visit the HDS Web site at www.hds.com.
Hitachi, Ltd., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is one of the world's leading global electronics companies, with fiscal 2000 (ended March 31, 2001) consolidated sales of 8,417 billion yen ($67.9 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's Web site at www.global.hitachi.com.
Contacts: PR
Jerri Hegwood,
Pioneer Standard CSD,
Jolie Newman, Springbok Cohn & Wolfe,
Jodi Reinman, Hitachi Data Systems,
*At an exchange rate of 124 yen to the dollar.
Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. Freedom Storage, Lightning 9900, Thunder 9200, and HiCommand are trademarks of Hitachi Data Systems.
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