McDATA Simplifies Ordering and Pricing of IP Network Assessment Services.

BROOMFIELD, Colo. -- McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq: MCDTA)(Nasdaq: MCDT), a leading provider of data access solutions, announced today new standardized services bundles, designed to give customers easier access to McDATA's IP Network Assessment services. Customers can more easily order IP network assessments either directly from McDATA or through McDATA OEM and channel partners.

"Our customers rely heavily on their networks to conduct business," said Rob Beyer, senior vice president, Customer Support Services, McDATA. "Now even more customers can benefit from broader access to our IP assessment services to gain better network utilization, and ensure they have the right sized networks for their needs and that there are no performance-impacting issues within the IP network."

McDATA's IP Network Assessment Services test the health of the IP network by measuring latency and "jitter," data integrity, packet loss and out-of-sequence packets. If problems are identified, McDATA's network engineers assist the customer to improve network performance.

During a recent IP Network Assessment for a mid-sized financial institution, McDATA engineers determined that while packet loss was acceptable in one direction of data travel, there was an unacceptable eight-percent packet loss in the opposite direction of travel. As a result, data traveling in the weaker path moved at only 50 Mbps-to-100 Mbps in spite of the 180 Mbps circuit it the company was using. After incorporating McDATA's recommendations for remediation, tests showed the IP network to be in good health, running faster than expected with virtually no packet loss in either direction.

McDATA's IP Network Assessment Services integrate testing and analysis functions into a self-contained testing chassis. McDATA network engineers test all network hardware that pertains to the IP channel extension network including routers, switches, security appliances and - Channel Service Unit/Data Service Units. Following the testing, a detailed summary report is provided for each IP circuit tested.

McDATA's IP Network Assessment service bundles will be available from McDATA beginning this month and from select McDATA channels thereafter.

About McDATA (www.mcdata.com)

McDATA (Nasdaq: MCDTA)(Nasdaq: MCDT) is the leading provider of data access solutions, helping customers build, globally connect, optimize and centrally manage data infrastructures across SAN, MAN and WAN environments. With nearly 25 years' experience developing SAN products, services and solutions, McDATA is the trusted partner in the world's largest data centers, connecting more than two-thirds of all networked data.

Forward-Looking Statements 

This press release contains statements about expected future events that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are urged to consider statements that include the terms "believes," "belief," "expects," "plans," "objectives," "estimates," "anticipates," "intends," "targets," or the like to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that could cause actual results to differ and vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, McDATA's relationships with EMC, IBM and Hitachi Data Systems and the level of their orders, aggressive price competition by numerous other SAN and IP switch suppliers, OEM qualification of our new products - such as the Intrepid 10000 Director, integration of CNT's sales and marketing functions, manufacturing constraints, constraints in obtaining third party product for resale and other risk factors that are disclosed in McDATA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These cautionary statements by McDATA should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of disclosures made by McDATA. All cautionary statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. McDATA does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.