Force10 CEO Marc Randall Outlines Requirements for the Next Generation Data Center at Network Outlook Conference.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

Network Outlook 2004

MILPITAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 9, 2004

The next generation data center must be capable of supporting its diverse base of users and the complex applications they will demand while guaranteeing zero downtime, Force10 Networks CEO Mark Randall said today at the Network Outlook 2004 conference. Randall said the data center must continuously evolve into an asset that effectively leverages applications, computing resources and the latest technology.

"The new data center is responsible for connecting all of a company's constituents including internal users, partners, suppliers and customers -- all day, every day," said Randall during the conference that showcases the companies driving new development in the enterprise and service provider markets. "When the data center stops working, the business stops working, and in today's competitive environment, that's unacceptable."

With distributed applications and interconnected users relying on the data center, the financial impact of downtime is magnified. Industry analyst firm Gartner estimates that the hourly cost of network downtime is $42,000. A typical business experiences, on average, about 87 hours of downtime a year, resulting in total losses of more than $3.6 million.

"Resiliency has become paramount as a downtime preventative measure, helping to ensure the stability and predictability of the data center," said Randall. "At both the system and network level resiliency guarantees that the data center operates as an asset to the company, increasing the efficiency of business processes and enhancing the user experience."

Force10 recently announced its industry-leading hitless failover technology, an advanced feature that eliminates the downtime associated with system errors and reduces productivity and revenue losses. As the first and only 10 Gigabit Ethernet networking vendor to demonstrate failover of both Layer 2 switching and Layer 3 routing traffic with zero packet loss, Force10 brings to networks an unmatched resiliency and predictability.

Network Outlook is an annual conference sponsored by VentureWire that explores the economic and technology issues impacting the data communications industry. This year the conference highlights the technologies, services and products that will enable carriers and enterprises to maximize the value of their networks. The conference takes place March 9-10, at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay in Redwood City, Calif.

About Force10 Networks

Force10 Networks is the pioneer in scalable resiliency for high performance switching and routing. Based on a revolutionary system architecture that delivers best-in-class resiliency and massive scalability, Force10's E-Series switch/routers ensure predictable application performance, increase network availability, and reduce operating costs. Today, many of the world's largest Gigabit Ethernet and 10 Gigabit Ethernet networks depend on Force10 Networks. For additional information, please visit the company's website at www.force10networks.com.

Force10, E-Series, EtherScale and FTOS are trademarks of Force10 Networks, Inc. All other company names are trademarks of their respective holders.