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EXBY News Tandberg Data Acquires VXA(R) Packet Technology With Purchase of Exabyte

BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With its acquisition of Exabyte assets, Oslo, Norway-based Tandberg Data becomes an integral member of the VXA Alliance. As the new owner of VXA Packet Technology and all intellectual property associated with it, Tandberg Data executives have shared their enthusiasm with the VXA Alliance and reaffirmed their commitment to the roadmap for next-generation VXA products by fully funding product development budgets.

In conjunction with the closing of the transaction, Tandberg Data announced that it has integrated the VXA-2, VXA-172 and VXA-320 into its tape drive and tape automation product portfolio. Moving forward, the combined company will conduct business under the Tandberg Data name throughout the world and will continue selling both Tandberg and Exabyte-branded products, including a full line of VXA drives and autoloaders in the US channel.

“Our engineers thoroughly evaluated VXA Packet Technology, and we clearly recognized the benefits and value of the VXA platform as well as its potential in the worldwide SMB market. It was a significant factor in our decision to acquire Exabyte,” said Tandberg Data CEO Gudmundur Einarsson. “With greater global reach, a stronger U.S. channel, and a product portfolio that now includes VXA drives and automation, Tandberg Data is well positioned to provide customers and partners even greater value.”

According to Tandberg executives, planning and development of the fourth generation of VXA Packet Technology has been ongoing since the release of VXA-320. Product development is fully funded in the company’s 2007 budget, which includes additional engineering resources from Oslo, Norway to support operations in Boulder, Colorado. According to the product roadmap, fourth-generation VXA products will double performance to a data capacity of 320/640 GB (native/compressed) and a data transfer rate of 24/48 MB per second.

“Our next generation VXA products are on schedule for release in the second half of 2008,” explained Tom Ward, Tandberg’s COO (former president and CEO of Exabyte), “which is well within our planned window and matches the timeframe our OEM customers will be ready for VXA’s next step up in capacity and speed.”

“The VXA Alliance demonstrates the broad industry support that exists for VXA Packet Technology,” said James Milligan, General Manager, Imation Commercial/OEM Division for the Americas. “As a proud member of the alliance, we look forward to working with Tandberg Data to continue the momentum for VXA through coordinated activities and programs that showcase the unique benefits of VXA Packet Technology for SMB companies.”

Tandberg Data announced on August 30 of last year that it had signed an agreement with Exabyte Corporation to acquire substantially all of it assets. With the deal complete, Tandberg Data is expected to reach worldwide revenue of approximately $200 million for 2006, establishing the Norwegian company as the second largest player in the data storage industry (OEMs not included).

Current members of the VXA Alliance include: Adaptec, Computer Associates, EMC Corporation, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, Imation, Ingram Micro, Matsushita Electric Industrial, Ltd. (Panasonic), Sony, Symantec, TDK, Tech Data, TOLIS Group, and Tandberg Data. VXA products are available from the world’s leading OEMs and through a global network of distribution partners and reseller. For more information about VXA Packet Technology and to learn more about the VXA Alliance, visit www.VXA.com.

About The VXA Alliance

The VXA Alliance, which includes many of the world’s most prominent names in data storage, is a tape storage industry group focused on providing information and education to the marketplace on the benefits of the VXA Packet Tape format and advocating for the continued global adoption of VXA as a standard for the SMB and departmental markets. VXA, a patented tape format owned by Tandberg Data Corporation, utilizes discreet digital data packets rather than traditional tracks resulting in significantly enhanced data reliability. VXA drives and autoloaders have been selected by many of the world’s leading OEMs, including IBM, Apple, Fujitsu Siemens Computers, and Fujitsu Ltd., providing a definitive endorsement of the VXA platform as a standard for tape storage in its class. For more information, visit www.VXA.com.