Bakbone's Magnavault Adds Support For Sony, Pioneer, Plasmon, Hitachi, DISC, NSM Jukeboxes, Drives.

Business Editors

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 13, 2000

Optical storage management software supports Sun Solaris 2.8, Red Hat Linux v6.2; announcement consistent with BakBone's Storage Management Initiative BakBone Software, Inc. (TSE: BKB, OTCBB: BKBOF) today announced the immediate availability of the upgraded version of its MagnaVault(tm) optical storage management software for UNIX-based systems.

The new version of MagnaVault, 2.23e, marketed through BakBone's Tracer division, extends its compatibility with Sony's forthcoming nine-gigabyte (GB) multi-function and Plasmon's 12-inch optical drives, as well as optical jukeboxes from Pioneer, DISC, Hitachi, Kubota, Maxoptix and NSM. It also incorporates support for Sun Solaris 2.8 and Red Hat Linux v6.2.

The enhanced features are the result of an intensive upgrade effort by BakBone, and are consistent with the company's Storage Management Initiative, assuring companies of unparalleled data storage capabilities with a full range of options. Today's introduction comes at a time when optical-based data storage is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, especially in key vertical markets such as medical systems, financial services and government.

"MagnaVault has a long history of working well with Sony optical drives. It optimizes the ability of our products to help companies archive substantive amounts of information and make it quickly available as needed. Sony's drives continue to increase in their ability to anticipate and meet corporate data storage needs; the new version of MagnaVault keeps pace with our innovations," said Toshiyuki Kawai, Sony marketing manager.

"BakBone's MagnaVault storage software is a very powerful compliment to Pioneer's write-once DVD-R mass storage library solutions," said Mike Mickes, Pioneer New Media Technologies, Inc. Senior Sales and Business Development Manager. "Information-intense UNIX applications will benefit from the higher level of data manageability which can now be applied to the latest archival storage medium, recordable DVD. Pioneer has had a long and very positive relationship working with MagnaVault and we're very enthusiastic with regard to the latest version enhancements," Mickes added.

"Optical storage is quickly gaining in popularity because of its ability to store and quickly access large amounts of corporate-critical data at a reduced cost," said Scott Carson, BakBone's Chief Technology Officer. "Easy, efficient storage and retrieval of large amounts of data has become a necessity in today's business environment. Companies want to take advantage of storage on removable disks to combine maximum security with fast retrieval. MagnaVault meets those needs. Its key feature is its ability to handle diverse media, such as rewritable, write-once and DVD disks, in a manner that is easy to integrate with applications."

BakBone's MagnaVault storage management software contains device drivers, file systems, and jukebox management software for a wide range of optical jukeboxes and drives running on UNIX-based systems. An optical jukebox appears as a standard file system, which means that it is completely transparent to existing applications, databases, and tools. Users can browse the contents of the jukebox as if the files were on a hard drive, with MagnaVault transparently scheduling accesses to media in the jukebox.

MagnaVault's file systems are designed and optimized for removable optical storage media. They support disk caching, while files and directories are accessed transparently using standard system utilities and applications. All file system data is contained on the optical media itself, which means that the media is portable to other machines and platforms, and it ensures that the data on the disk is intact in case of hard drive failures on the server.

Hundreds of companies worldwide are already using MagnaVault to safeguard their most important data. The roster of clients reads like a "who's who" of international business: Bank of America, Chase Manhattan Bank, Bear Stearns, Verizon Communications, NTT of Japan, Federal Express, NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Jet Propulsion Laboratories, Nokia, Polaroid, Kellogg's, Scholastic Press, New Yorker Magazine, Time Warner Cable, PEPCO, U.S. Department of Transportation, and other government agencies.

"These companies and many more recognize the true value of maintaining their data over long periods of time, or making it available on a near-line basis; they realize that MagnaVault has an established track record of doing exactly that," said Tony Cerqueira, BakBone's Chief Executive Officer. "As companies' storage needs continue to grow exponentially, more companies increasingly realize MagnaVault's value for maintaining long-term copies of crucial files, as well as making them available at a speed advantage over tape, and a cost advantage over leaving them on a hard disk. Our upgraded version, being introduced today, provides greater flexibility and more options than ever before."

Pricing for the new version of MagnaVault software begins at $500 for standalone optical drives, and $3500 in a jukebox configuration. It is available through BakBone-authorized channel partners.

About BakBone Software, Inc.

BakBone Software(tm) (TSE: BKB, OTC: BKBOF) is an international storage management software company that develops and globally distributes industry-leading storage management solutions to the open systems markets, providing data protection and management solutions scalable from workgroup to enterprise that will grow with a company's needs. BakBone's core products include near-line optical and archival, as well as tape backup and restore software for a full suite of storage management solutions to the corporate data center.

BakBone's corporate headquarters is located at 10145 Pacific Heights Boulevard, San Diego, Ca. 92121. Its stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is included on the TSE 300 Composite, S&P/TSE Canadian SmallCap and TSE 200 indices. For more information on BakBone products, call 858-450-9009, e-mail [e-mail], or access BakBone's web site at www.bakbone.com.

Safe Harbor

This news release contains forward-looking statements reflecting management's current forecast of certain aspects of the company's future. It is based on current information that we have assessed, but which by its nature is dynamic and subject to rapid and even abrupt changes. Forward-looking statements may include statements by BakBone Software regarding:

-- Optimism about achieving sequentially higher revenues and net income over
the next two quarters and EPS expectations for our fiscal year

-- Growth projections for the company

-- The projected rollout of upgraded versions of our products.

BakBone's actual results could differ materially from those stated or implied by our forward-looking statements due to risks and uncertainties associated with our business, including, but not limited to:

-- Our dependence on projected purchases by our major customers

-- Our ability to establish and maintain contractual arrangements

with storage-centric value-added resellers ("channel

partners")

-- Competition in all aspects of our business

-- Changes in product or service profit margins due to pricing

changes driven by variations in customer demand, competition,

or unforeseen factors.

Our forward-looking statements should be considered in the context of these and other risk factors disclosed in our most recent report filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators.