LTO Technology Program Reaches New Milestones in 2005.

SILICON VALLEY, Calif. -- LTO Technology:

--Over 1 million LTO Ultrium drive shipments

--More than 30 million LTO Ultrium tape cartridge shipments

--Reaches more than 77 percent market share over competing formats

HP, IBM and Quantum, the three technology provider companies (TPCs) for the Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Program, today announced that 2005 was one of the most significant years since the LTO format specification was first released in 1998.

In 2005, the LTO Program reached the milestone of more than 1 million tape drives shipped and more than 30 million tape cartridges shipped since September 2000, when products based on the format first became commercially available.

"The LTO Program has been a tremendous success and continues to exceed the goals initially established when the format was created," said Cindy Grossman, Vice President, Tape Storage Systems, IBM. "End users are implementing LTO tape systems to help protect critical data, improve operational efficiency, and reduce overall costs."

In June, the LTO Program announced that LTO Ultrium tape drives reached 77 percent unit shipment share over SDLT and SAIT, according to a report by Gartner, Inc., "Market Share: Tape Drives, Worldwide, 2004" (Fara Yale, May 2005). According to a July study by Freeman Report: Compact Tape Outlook, LTO Ultrium tape drives held a 71 percent share of the super drive submarket segment (100GB native capacity or higher) based on unit shipments. Separately, Freeman Reports noted that LTO Ultrium drives held a 77 percent share of the super drive autoloader submarket.

Continuing the momentum, in late 2005 the LTO Program also announced the availability of a license that permits early access to the evolving LTO generation 4 Ultrium format. The new license is available for current licensees, analysts and any other party interested in LTO Ultrium generation 4 products.

How to License LTO Ultrium Technology

The LTO program offers several different license packages - from enhanced packages that provide the specifications and licenses to manufacture Ultrium products, to basic packages, providing Ultrium format specifications and guidelines for interchangeability.

Buyers seeking Ultrium format-compliant products should look for the Ultrium format compliance verification trademarks on both tape drives and data cartridges. Storage and media manufacturers interested in licensing LTO technology may obtain information by contacting the LTO Program at [e-mail].

About Linear Tape-Open (LTO) Technology

LTO technology is a powerful, scaleable, adaptable open tape format created by technology providers HP, IBM Corporation and Quantum Corporation (and their predecessors) to help address the growing demands of data protection in the midrange to enterprise-class server environments. This ultra-high capacity generation of tape storage products is designed to deliver outstanding performance, capacity and reliability combining the advantages of linear multi-channel, bi-directional formats with enhancements in servo technology, data compression, track layout, and error correction.

The LTO Ultrium format has a well-defined roadmap for growth and scalability. The roadmap represents intentions and goals only. There is no guarantee that these goals will be achieved. Compliance verification is vital to meet the free-interchange objectives that are at the core of the LTO Program. Ultrium tape mechanism and tape cartridge interchange specifications are available on a licensed basis. For additional information on LTO technology, visit the LTO Program Web site at www.ultrium.com.

Note: Linear Tape-Open, LTO, the LTO logo, Ultrium, and the Ultrium logo are trademarks of HP, IBM and Quantum in the US and other countries.