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Network Appliance Approved by SDRC for C3P Environments

29 March 2000

Network Appliance Approved by SDRC for C3P Environments; NetApp Filers Approved for Use by Suppliers Implementing C3P in Support of Ford Product and Vehicle Programs

    SUNNYVALE, Calif.--March 29, 2000--Network Appliance Inc., the leading provider of network-attached data access and management solutions, today announced that NetApp(R) `filers' have passed all SDRC competency requirements set out by Ford's Global Supplier Implementation Strategy (GSI) and can now be used to support the Ford Motor Company C3P initiative.
    The GSI team, comprised of Ford and SDRC personnel and founded in 1998, is dedicated to assisting Ford-authorized suppliers in replicating and implementing C3P. C3P, Ford's CAD/CAM, CAE and PIM solution, is built on a foundation of SDRC products; currently implemented worldwide to support Ford product and vehicle programs.
    NetApp's highly available, scalable, easy to manage filers are now part of the solution available to deploy in the data intensive design environments of the worldwide Ford-authorized suppliers. NetApp filers improve performance in C3P environments by offloading I/O functions to a filer that is dedicated and tuned to deliver data on demand.
    File sharing also becomes simpler and more manageable because files are stored in a single, central location. Scaling NetApp filers to accommodate growth and preserve superior performance entails no scheduled downtime and minimal effort.
    "SDRC and Ford are dedicated to building a global, collaborative solutions environment in which customers can easily and quickly access the necessary tools to be successful," said Bill Weyand, chairman, president and CEO, SDRC. "With today's announcement, NetApp joins us in the construction of product lifecycle development solutions to meet Ford's businesses product objectives and the C3P initiative."
    "The Ford/SDRC C3P design-rich environment requires storage solutions that can be quickly installed and administered without sacrificing performance integrity -- regardless of where you are in the world," said Dan Warmenhoven, CEO Network Appliance.
    "NetApp filers have successful track records in the engineering and manufacturing industries; our partnership with Ford/SDRC is further proof of our ability to easily extend solutions for a competitive business advantage. NetApp will enable Ford-authorized suppliers to rapidly deploy the design and engineering solutions that will drive the product innovations of tomorrow," added Warmenhoven.

    About SDRC

    SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation) is a leading global provider of Internet-enabled collaborative product development solutions through its Metaphase(R) Enterprise(TM); product data management software and I-DEAS(R) integrated mechanical design, engineering & manufacturing software.
    The Company's products, coupled with process engineering and consulting services, create an e-business environment that enables industry leaders to optimize product development early in the design process, accelerate product innovation, and significantly improve time-to-market.
    SDRC employs more than 2,500 people worldwide, with 77 offices in 18 countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.

    About Network Appliance

    Network Appliance, a veteran in network file serving and caching, has been providing data access solutions since 1992. Major corporations and ISPs, including Lycos, Yahoo!, Citicorp Securities, Siemens, Lockheed, Cisco, Motorola and Texas Instruments have deployed NetApp solutions.
    NetApp's Internet caching solutions (NetCache(TM) appliances) and file servers ("filers") deliver fast, simple, reliable and cost-effective access to network-stored data and enable simultaneous shared file services for UNIX(R), Windows NT(R) and the World Wide Web.
    The company pioneered the concept of the "network appliance," an extension of the industry trend toward dedicated, specialized products that perform a single function.
    Network Appliance(TM) filers and NetCache appliances are based on the Company's innovative data access software known as Data ONTAP(TM) operating system and standards-compliant hardware. More information is available at http://www.netapp.com

    Note to Editors: NetApp is a registered trademark and Network Appliance, Data ONTAP and NetCache are trademarks of Network Appliance, Inc in the United States and other countries.