April 20, 2006 — Acer, one of the top five vendors in the EMEA Server market, and Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, global provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions™ solutions and a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT), today announced a partnership agreement to supply flexible and reliable storage solutions to the SMB market across Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
The agreement, which covers the entire EMEA region, will be phased out country by country, with Italy chosen as the first geography to be announced, followed by Germany at the end of the year, then the UK in the first six months of 2007, and France by the end of the same year.
"Acer and Hitachi Data Systems are ideal partners for the SMB storage market" - said John Roberts, Server Business Unit Director, Acer EMEA. "The combination of world-class storage solutions and Acer's channel supply program guarantees rapid supply, customised configurations and specialised sales support, and provides a clear advantage for SMBs with no extensive IT infrastructure looking for reliability, performance and scalability."
Philippe Fossé, Senior Director Channels, Hitachi Data Systems EMEA, commented: "Today, companies of all sizes face the same challenges of managing explosive data growth, complex applications and regulatory compliance within limited budgets. Through Acer's innovative channel supply model, smaller companies will now be able to benefit from our high-end functionality storage which will obviously strengthen our presence in the rapidly-developing SMB market. Hitachi Data Systems already has a relationship with Acer in Asia Pacific and both companies are looking forward to extending this into Europe. Under this extended agreement, existing Acer storage solutions will be gradually phased out and replaced exclusively by the new Acer-HDS brand."
Two new storage products, WMS100 and AMS200, are scheduled for initial roll-out under the new Acer-HDS brand by the second quarter of 2006, designed to bring enhanced reliability, versatility and value to the midrange, volume storage market.
Acer is committed to its innovative, profitable and sustainable Channel Business Model which involves working with first-class PC industry suppliers and guaranteed channel partners to optimise global logistics and worldwide business channels and provide unrivaled customer service.
Detailed information on all Acer products and a catalogue including prices in the PDF format are available at Acer's Internet site (www.acer-euro.com).
Acer ranks among the world's top ten branded PC vendors, designing and marketing easy, dependable IT solutions that empower people to reach their goals and enhance their lives. In 2000, Acer spun-off its manufacturing operation to focus on globally marketing its brand-name products: desktop and mobile PCs, servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Established in 1976, the Acer Group employs 7,800 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Revenues in 2004 reached US$ 7.0 billion. For further information, visit www.acer.com.
Acer and the Acer logo are registered trademarks of Acer Incorporated. Microsoft and Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. Intel and Pentium are registered trademarks of Intel Corporation. Other trademarks, registered trademarks and/or service marks, indicated or otherwise, are the properties of their respective owners.
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 approximately 2,900 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 347,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2004 (ended March 31, 2005) consolidated sales totaled 9,027.0 billion yen ($84.4 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 Website at http://www.hitachi.com.
© 2006, Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. Hitachi Data Systems is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. TagmaStore is a trademark of Hitachi Data Systems Corporation. All other trade names, trademarks, and service marks used herein are the rightful property of their respective owners.
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