KOM Networks adds support for new Sony Electronics 14X Drive

Ottawa, ON Canada – January 23, 2001

KOM Networks, a leading storage management software provider, today announced its support of Sony Electronics' new 14X magneto-optical (MO) storage drive to its storage software line, while maintaining total backward compatibility with Sony Electronic's MO line. At 9.1GB, this fifth generation Sony drive offers 14 times the capacity of the first generation 650MB MO drive, and nearly double the capacity of its popular 5.2GB MO drive, while maintaining high-level data integrity.

KOM Networks supplies vendor-neutral optical storage software that maximises network performance by seamlessly integrating storage hardware devices, such as optical jukeboxes for magneto-optical (WORM and Rewritable) disk drives and media. Its software products are completely scalable and guarantee seamless integration of network storage devices allowing system operators to manage multiple storage devices in the same way as standard magnetic hard drives.

"KOM Networks' software compatibility with Sony Electronics' latest technological development allows us to bring KOM's clients unparalleled archival capabilities," said Toshi Kawai, MO Drives Marketing Manager of Sony Electronics Inc. "This generation of MO technology offers increased capacity, higher speed retrieval and exceptional reliability, making it an ideal storage product for heavy duty jukebox applications. It's an important advancement for many data-intensive industries that rely on storage area networks and network attached storage in their daily operations, such as medical imaging, telecommunications and multimedia design."

KOM Networks' scalable storage products can resolve storage-re lated data management problems for both a single drive system and a complex network of optical storage devices. Its solutions, including OptiStorm® and OptiServer® data management systems, help companies harness a network's storage potential by giving administrators the ability to manage multiple media devices simultaneously, and offer a variety of document management and security features.

"KOM Networks' long standing relationship with Sony Electronics proves our commitment to offer our clients the most reliable and scalable storage solutions," said Taher Shaath, CEO and President. "By maintaining our software portability to world-class storage hardware innovators, like Sony Electronics, we ensure that our clients will be able to employ the latest technological advancements in order to grow their networks and increase the capacity of their storage area."

This new Sony 14X MO technology incorporates Land and Groove Recording which allows data to be recorded on the surface space of both the recording layer (Land) and the deeper spiral track (Groove) creating a more efficient use of the total recording surface. The capacity is also increased by using magnetically-induced super resolution (MSR) technology, allowing the drives to read even smaller marks on the disks and significantly increasing track density.

About KOM Networks

KOM Networks is a world leading provider of flexible, secure data archiving and storage management software. Over 10,000 of the world's leading corporations have recognized KOM Networks as the most logical, unobtrusive and secure way to store, access and protect their data. KOM is enabling enterprises large and small a cost effective way to improve productivity and meet compliance requirements without altering their network infrastructure or daily business routines. The industry pioneer holds vital industry patents for electronic file lifecycle management, virtual file management and eWORM fixed content hard disk archiving. Find out how KOM Networks can help you implement a comprehensive information lifecycle solution to optimize your existing storage environment and meet your compliance requirements. Contact us at 1-888-556-6462, sales@komnetworks.com or visit our website for more information. www.komnetworks.com.

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About Sony Electronics Inc.

Based in San Jose, Calif., the Disk Storage Products Division of Sony Electronics' Component Company markets MO drives through OEM, industrial distributors, and reseller channels. For additional information about Sony storage products, call (800) 352-7669 or visit Sony's World Wide Web site at www.storagebysony.com