CommVault Systems Improves Enterprise Protection With Latest Release of Galaxy Enterprise 2000 Data and Storage Management Solution.

Business/Technology Editors

OCEANPORT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 15, 2000

CommVault Galaxy Storage and Data Management Software Release 2.5 Delivers Best-In-Class Integrated Support for Network Attached Storage

(NAS) and Heterogeneous Environments

CommVault Systems Inc.(R) today announced the general availability of the 2.5 release of CommVault(R) Galaxy(TM) Enterprise 2000, CommVault's premier next-generation storage and data management software suite. The release adds seamless data protection of Network Appliance filers, Novell NetWare environments, and Lotus Domino/Notes R5 as well as Exchange 2000 applications, all from a Windows platform. It successfully delivers on the company's recently announced roadmap to extend its advanced data protection capabilities to heterogeneous environments.

CommVault's Galaxy Enterprise 2000 product is the first fully-integrated enterprise storage management solution built from the ground up on Microsoft's Windows platform and designed specifically for managing large heterogeneous computing environments. By presenting a logical interface for viewing and managing data and storage resource information, the CommVault Galaxy solution eliminates many of the management difficulties that traditional backup products encounter due to their physical device orientation. This approach is especially important as increasing numbers of today's data-intensive enterprises move from server-centric to data-centric solutions, such as Network Attached Storage (NAS) and Storage Area Networks (SAN).

"With today's announcement, CommVault delivers on its promise to our customers to give them the industry's most user friendly, single solution for advanced enterprise data protection for heterogeneous computing environments," said Bob Hammer, president, chairman and CEO, CommVault Systems. "With UNIX support coming later this year, CommVault Systems will show that a leading storage vendor can execute on aggressive product development and delivery cycles. The Enterprise 2000 release now covers many of the most widely accepted platforms with one true enterprise-class solution, while our competitors continue to promise integration of different interfaces, even separate products for individual functions and environments."

New Features Offered with CommVault Galaxy Release 2.5:

--Support for Lotus Domino/Notes R5,

--Support for Novell NetWare, including Novell Directory Services. Features separate iDataAgents to optimize file data and directory protection for distributed Novell environments by eliminating the need to backup redundant directory information,

--Support for Network Appliance filers (Network Data Management Protocol - NDMP compliant). In addition to standard NDMP functions, the CommVault Galaxy software features the unique ability to share a single tape library between many directly attached Network Appliance filers, as well as traditional servers. This feature delivers on the promise of "shared storage" and LAN free backups between NAS and LAN-based data. The Galaxy single unified GUI for LAN and NAS-based storage presents an integrated view of all data types that significantly eases storage administration.

--Integration of CommCelIPlus and Microsoft's MMC console to offer additional advanced management alternatives to the industry's most easy-to-use, unified user interface.

NEW RELEASE BRINGS EXPANDED PLATFORM, APPLICATION, AND CONFIGURATION SUPPORT

With the 2.5 release of CommVault Galaxy Enterprise 2000, the platforms and computing environments covered under the CommVault Galaxy storage management suite now include:

--Windows NT 4.0

--Windows 2000 Professional, Server, and Advanced Server

--Exchange 5.5 on NT 4.0 & Windows 2000

--Exchange 2000 on Windows 2000

--SQL Server 7 on NT 4.0 and Windows 2000

--Novell Netware 4.x and Novell Netware 5.x, including Novell

Directory Services 8

--Lotus Domino/Notes R5

--Microsoft Cluster support for NT 4.0, Windows 2000, Exchange

5.5, and SQL Server 7

--Network Appliance Filers (NDMP compliant)

--Magnetic media (RAID and JBOD) as backup target with full

policy-based capabilities

--Shared storage options for large enterprise class tape libraries

--LAN-free backup configurations for SAN environments

A follow-on release of the CommVault Galaxy Enterprise 2000 suite will feature expanded Network Attached Storage (NAS) devices, advanced SAN solutions including server-less backup, and robust UNIX platform and application support. This forthcoming release will be available beginning Q4 2000.

"CommVault continues to enhance its Galaxy storage and data management suite with broader platform support and functionality that many enterprise customers require today," said Steve Widen, research director, International Data Corporation. "This latest release of CommVault Galaxy is no exception. Expanding on its well-received storage management solutions for Windows environments, CommVault has extended its storage management solutions to distributed enterprise environments and networked storage architectures. The easy, ubiquitous access to granular data through the product's interface continues to be a key differentiator for CommVault. The only missing piece is support for Unix and that is expected later this year."

From a single, unified console, Galaxy administrators can simultaneously set policies, monitor events, and seamlessly manage the availability of critical business information regardless of whether it is physically located on a server, a LAN, or a SAN - without the need for separate `bolt-on' options or the need to tab between screens or interfaces. As a result, the CommVault Galaxy data and storage management solution is much easier to use, requires less training, offers better performance and improves application data availability.

The business benefits of the CommVault Galaxy data and storage management solution to customers are:

--Lowest total cost of ownership because the product is easier to configure, deploy, use, maintain and administrate,

--More reliable data protection on a much larger scale than previously available;

--Advanced data management and faster access to business critical data through Galaxy's tight integration with an array of operating systems and directory services as well as key Microsoft applications such as Exchange and SQL Server;

--Faster deployment and easier management from a single, unified browser or MMC console;

--The ability to assist in the migration from earlier Windows operating systems and applications to Windows 2000 operating systems and applications. For instance, Exchange 5.5 data can be backed up today from either NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 servers and recalled later for use in Exchange 2000.

About CommVault Systems

CommVault Systems, Inc. (R) is a worldwide leader in providing enterprise-wide storage management solutions for client/server environments. The company's singular focus is creating and implementing fast, reliable, and easy-to-use storage management solutions to meet customer's data management requirements. The company's software products seamlessly ensure the reliable, rapid restoration of files, business-critical applications, and today's most popular databases. Information on CommVault is available on the World Wide Web at www.commvault.com or by calling [phone]. CommVault's corporate headquarters is located in Oceanport, New Jersey in the United States.

Microsoft is either a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries. Other product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

CommVault, CommVault Systems, CommVault Galaxy, CommServe StorageManager, MediaAgent, iDataAgent, CommCell and the CommVault logo are trademarks and may be registered trademarks in some jurisdictions of CommVault Systems, Inc.