Relationship Central to Hitachi's Data Lifecycle Management Strategy
STORAGE NETWORKING WORLD, ORLANDO, FLA. 27 October, 2003 - Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), and IXOS Software AG (Nasdaq: XOSY, Frankfurt: XOS), a leader in enterprise content management, today announced a worldwide software development and distribution agreement. As a result of this agreement, Hitachi Data Systems will provide IXOS' archiving and enterprise content management software to its customers and will integrate IXOS' products into Hitachi's storage management software suite.
The first benefit of this relationship is Hitachi Data Systems' new e-mail archiving solutions, introduced today (see separate press release). Delivered by Hitachi Data Systems' Global Solutions Services division and powered by IXOS-eCONserver software, e-mail archiving is available in two versions:
"We have long believed that archive management software and enterprise storage would logically converge," said Richard Gailer, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, IXOS. "Our product's capabilities map to Hitachi's vision. Together, we are enabling customers to manage unstructured content. And we will bring our full capability in the enterprise content management space — including archiving, document management, content management and workflow — into this partnership."
"Addressing the storage requirements for unstructured content such as e-mail is a priority at Hitachi Data Systems," said Ken Beaudry, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Global Solutions Services, Hitachi Data Systems. "Providing a level of intelligence to the storage and management of these diverse content types is critical, and our partnership with IXOS enables us to accelerate our data lifecycle management offerings."
IXOS' software will provide Hitachi Data Systems with the ability to associate meta data with stored content, enabling content to be quickly located and retrieved based on standard document attributes — regardless of its location. These attributes can include creation date, author, recipient, subject or indexed terms in a document.
Hitachi Data Systems' Global Solution Services division will distribute IXOS products as part of its integrated solutions framework. The newly announced Message Archive for Compliance solution integrates the IXOS-eCONserver software for message archiving with Hitachi's recently announced Open LDEV Guard virtual WORM (Write Once Read Many) data retention management software. Hitachi and IXOS will integrate additional products to make archival capabilities a core application to Hitachi enterprise storage offerings.
"Hitachi Data Systems' partnership with IXOS will provide customers with a timely and pragmatic solution to the growing e-mail dilemma as well as other unstructured data management applications," said Tony Prigmore, Senior Analyst, Enterprise Storage Group.
IXOS SOFTWARE is a leading provider of Enterprise Content Management (ECM) solutions. The IXOS offering ranges from solutions for the efficient creation, management and display of web information, to optimization of business processes, to the secure, long-term archiving of all business documents in a dependable document repository. A global team of highly qualified consultants, combined with 24/7 support, complements the broad solution portfolio. Through its partnerships with leading international hardware and software providers and system integrators, IXOS ensures the implementation of innovative technologies and the availability of comprehensive industry-specific expertise. Its financial stability makes IXOS a dependable partner both now and in the distant future. In more than 2,700 installations spanning diverse industries, IXOS has helped companies reduce expenses, improve productivity, and enhance their competitiveness. More than 2 million users around the world enjoy the benefits of IXOS ECM solutions. IXOS SOFTWARE shares are traded in the TecDAX 30 Index of the Frankfurt, Germany stock exchange using the ticker symbol "XOS" (WKN 506150; ISIN: DE0005061501). In the U.S., American Depository Shares (ADSs) are traded on the NASDAQ stock exchange using the ticker symbol "XOSY".
Hitachi Data Systems leverages global R&D resources to develop storage solutions built on industry-leading technology with the performance, availability and scalability to maximize customers' ROI and minimize their risk. By focusing on the customer's perspective as we apply the best hardware, software, and services from Hitachi and our partners, we uniquely satisfy our customers' business needs.
With 2,700 employees, Hitachi Data Systems conducts business through direct and indirect channels in the public, government and private sectors in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include more than 50 percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, please visit our Web site at http://www.hds.com.
Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company, with approximately 340,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2002 (ended March 31, 2003) consolidated sales totaled 8,191.7 billion yen ($68.3 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors, including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's Web site at http://global.hitachi.com.
Contacts:
Greg Peverill-Conti, Hitachi Data Systems, (617) 451-6070, gregpc@blancandotus.com
Marie-Charlotte Patterson, IXOS SOFTWARE AG, (610) 355-7490, marie-charlotte.patterson@ixos.com
All trade names, trademarks, and service marks are the rightful property of their respective owners.
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