Network Appliance Powers Renault F1 Team; ``We Looked for a Solution that was Server Hardware and Operating System Independent''

    SUNNYVALE, Calif.--Jan. 28, 2003--Network Appliance, a leading provider of enterprise network storage solutions and Renault F1 Team today announced that the team has purchased a 2.5TB FAS960 unified storage solution. The system will hold and manage all design data for the Renault F1 Team car and will also deliver considerable cost savings and enable business continuance across its F1 design operation.
    In addition, Network Appliance and Renault F1 Team have entered into a sponsorship agreement whereby, as an Official Team Supplier, the company will provide Renault F1 Team with the storage technology for its car design. The sponsorship agreement is part of an established relationship Network Appliance has with Renault F1 Team who first invested in NetApp(R) solutions in 1999.
    Graeme Hackland, I.T. manager Renault F1 Team, commented on the implementation, "The IT department required a solution with excellent 24x7 support that would ensure we achieved our uptime goals. Formula 1 is a 24-hour business, we cannot afford to take systems offline for backup and Network Appliance(TM) Snapshot(TM) gives us this flexibility."
    Hackland continued, "It is essential that our design data can be shared across heterogeneous platforms, enabling a seamless data flow from conception to production. We viewed future expansion as critical in making our data storage selection -- the storage system we selected allows NAS to SAN expansion, as well as twelve times disk space expansion capability."
    The Renault F1 Team has over 50 designers working full-time on the development of its vehicles. "As our Catia design software is used on Unix(R) and Windows(R) operating systems, it was absolutely critical for us to be able to seamlessly interoperate between them," said Hackland.
    The Network Appliance storage solution has enabled Renault F1 Team to store all of its current and historic design data and provide quick access to its Oracle(R), MCAD/PDM, IBM and Catia databases. To give an indication of scale, it takes over 10,000 drawings per season to define a Formula 1 car -- which equates to a capacity requirement of 2.5TB. In addition to storing its design data, the FAS960 solution provides Renault F1 Team with instant access to over three years of live data.
    "We looked for a solution that was server hardware and operating system independent and Network Appliance provided a highly cost effective solution that ensured business continuance throughout a significant upgrade project," concluded Hackland.
    "Network Appliance focuses on delivering solutions for mission-critical business challenges," said Tim Pitcher, Northern EMEA vice president, Network Appliance. "Renault F1 Team is a world-class team powered by state-of-the-art design and technology with a growing requirement for highly available data storage. We are thrilled to continue our work with the team and to be assisting them in achieving their goals."

    About Renault F1 Team

    July 2002 marked the 25th anniversary of Renault's competition in modern, top-level motor sport. By 1979, just two years after entering the World Championship, Renault had already established themselves as race winners. Through the 1990's Renault was the most successful manufacturer in Formula 1, achieving six world championship titles as a partner with both Williams and Benetton. 2002 marked the competitive return of a one hundred percent Renault team, with the Renault F1 Team achieving a fourth-place finish in the Constructors World Championship. Renault's track record of success in F1 reinforces the ambition of World Championship victory within the next 3 years.
    The philosophy for Renault's involvement in Formula 1 is not just about building brand awareness; it also enables a filter down of technology to their road car products. The Renault F1 Team is a wholly-owned division of Renault S.A. headquartered in Paris, France.

    About Network Appliance

    Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992, Network Appliance has provided fast, simple, and reliable solutions that continue to drive the evolution of storage. Information about Network Appliance solutions and services is available at www.netapp.com.

    NetApp is a registered trademark and Network Appliance, The evolution of storage, and Snapshot are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.