Data Robotics' New Self-Managing iSCSI SAN Solution Expands Channel Sales Opportunities

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwire - November 23, 2009) - Data Robotics, Inc., the company that delivers the best data storage experience ever, today released DroboElite, the first iSCSI SAN storage that manages itself. DroboElite will enable Data Robotics worldwide channel partners to deliver a powerful and flexible iSCSI SAN solution to a broader range of small and medium businesses (SMBs). Data Robotics recently expanded the Drobo Partner Advantage Program to include a deal registration program, new sales tools, product training materials, and enhanced marketing assets. DroboElite is an ideal data storage solution for partners with customers who require multi-host support, high-speed data transfers and virtualized environments.

"We have already increased our SMB storage business with Data Robotics' Drobo solutions, and the newly released DroboElite will be a welcome addition to our product offerings. The DrobeElite will allow us to easily expand into the iSCSI SAN market because we can offer our customers a storage solution that delivers advanced functionality, increased performance and the features of BeyondRAID without a huge price tag," said Lou Giovanetti, partner at CPU Sales and Services. "The newly expanded Drobo Partner Advantage Program gives us the opportunity to register deals and guarantee a better margin, which means we can grow our business and pass cost savings to our customers at the same time."

DroboElite delivers self-managing features such as automated capacity expansion and one-click single- or dual-drive redundancy for optimal data protection for Windows, Mac and Linux machines. The new system extends the number of Smart Volumes -- Data Robotics' unique thin provisioning technology that pulls storage capacity from a common pool of drives -- so that users can now create up to 255 virtual storage volumes, making DroboElite an ideal solution for resellers with customers who require storage solutions that can scale as their infrastructure grows.

DroboElite Features and Benefits

-- Multi-host Environment Opportunities -- Partners can provide DroboElite to companies that have multiple servers and need to easily add or consolidate storage within their existing TCP/IP network while utilizing the industry-standard iSCSI protocol.

-- Fastest Throughput of Any Drobo Solution -- Enhancements such as multiple stream optimization and dual Gigabit Ethernet interfaces for high-speed iSCSI deliver best-in-class performance.

-- Tested VMware-ready Features -- With dual iSCSI ports and the ability to create up to 255 Smart Volumes, DroboElite gives partners the ability to support growing VMware environments and advanced VMware functionality including VMotion, Storage VMotion, snapshots, and high availability.

-- Capacity Expansion to 16TB and Beyond -- DroboElite scales to 16TB today and can instantly expand as higher capacity drives become available, enabling channel partners to keep pace with their customers' growing storage requirements.

-- Advanced Thin Provisioning -- Smart Volumes allow companies to create new storage volumes in seconds and manage them over time by pulling capacity from a common pool rather than a specific physical drive allocation. Smart Volumes are also file system aware, which allows deleted data blocks to be immediately returned to the pool for future use.

-- Simplified Dual-Drive Redundancy -- Partners can provide their customers with a solution that protects them against the simultaneous failure of up to two hard drives without losing access to their data. With a single click, they can switch back to single disk redundancy if capacity runs low without losing access to data.

The recently expanded Drobo Partner Advantage Program offers three levels of participation for selling and supporting Drobo solutions: Registered, Authorized, and Certified. Partners can take advantage of key benefits in each partner category, including deal registration, secure partner portal, and minimum advertised pricing (MAP) designed to increase revenue. The newly developed marketing materials that partners can leverage include collateral, web banners, email blasts and other tools and content.

"We want to give our channel partners every opportunity to be successful in selling Data Robotics solutions. With DroboElite, we specifically focused on creating revenue opportunities that would enable our channel partners to stay competitive in today's data storage market," said Malissa King, vice president of sales for North America and APAC, Data Robotics. "By combining the unique features of DroboElite with the benefits of the new Drobo Partner Advantage Program, our channel partners can quickly grow and expand their SMB business into the iSCSI SAN storage market."

For complete details on the Drobo Partner Advantage Program, or to register, please visit: http://www.drobo.com/drpartners or call 1-866-97DROBO.

About Data Robotics

Data Robotics, Inc., the company that delivers the best storage experience ever, develops automated storage products designed to ensure data is always protected, accessible, and simple to manage. The award-winning Drobo storage arrays are the first to provide the protection of traditional RAID without the complexity. The revolutionary BeyondRAID technology frees users from making the difficult and confining choice of "Which RAID level to deploy?" by providing an unprecedented combination of advanced features and automation, including single- and dual-drive redundancy, instant expansion, self-monitoring, data awareness, self-healing, and an easy-to-understand visual status and alert panel. For more information, visit Data Robotics at www.datarobotics.com.

Data Robotics, DroboElite, Drobo, Smart Volumes, and BeyondRAID are trademarks of Data Robotics, Inc., that may be registered in some jurisdictions. All other trademarks used are owned by their respective owners.

Contact Information: Media Contact: Elizabeth Zaborowska Bhava Communications 510-219-8127