Woburn, MA - March 8, 1999

AXIS COMMUNICATIONS OFFERS HARD DISK CACHING, IMPROVED PERFORMANCE WITH NEW NETWORK CD/DVD SERVER

New chip, hard disk caching, and improved Web interface add up to superior performance

Woburn, MA - March 8, 1999 - Axis Communications, Inc. is shipping to storage integrators the new AXIS StorPoint CD E100, a network-attached thin server device designed to make networking CD/DVDs fast, efficient and easy without the need for a file server or PC. The AXIS StorPoint CD E100 supports hard disk caching, which allows many CD/DVDs to be copied to a hard disk for significantly improved data access speed and increase in the number of CD/DVDs available to network users. The product features the ETRAX 100, the new 32-bit Axis custom network RISC processor that allows network-attached devices to take a quantum leap in performance at a competitive price. In addition, AXIS StorPoint CD E100 has an improved Web interface with an enhanced graphical user interface for even easier installation and device management.

"When Excel Computer brought the new AXIS StorPoint CD to our attention, we wanted to put its hard disk caching feature to use right away for all our online CD media applications," remarked Tim Myers, project lead, SunTrust PCR Team. "We have thousands of people online accessing hundreds o f gigs of data and the Excel CD Towers with the AXIS StorPoint server provide the access speed and capacity we need. We also needed full native NDS support which only the Axis solution could provide. This was a major plus for us."

AXIS StorPoint CD E100, like other Axis products, supports a full range of networking protocols and operating systems simultaneously. Whether users are running NetWare (Bindery or NDS), Windows NT, OS/2, UNIX or Web networks, they can access on-line CD/DVD data at the same time over any network.

"The AXIS StorPoint CD impressed us with its interoperability in the NetWare 4 and 5 environments, speedy response and ease-of-use," said Carleton Watkins, director of Novell's DeveloperNet Labs. "Axis' support for the full NDS implementation is unique in the NAS industry. As users embrace NDS and its many advantages, it is important that network attached peripherals fit well with the NDS environment. The AXIS StorPoint CD is a clear winner in this category."

Hard Disk Caching Provides Significant Flexibility and Performance Enhancements

Through hard disk caching, the AXIS StorPoint CD E100 allows many CDs or DVDs to be copied to a hard disk. Data access speed across the network is improved significantly, due to the access and transfer speeds of a hard disk compared to optical media devices. In addition, the number of CDs and DVDs that can be cached is limited only by the size of the hard disk, which maximizes the investment. Users have several options to optimize performance for their applications. They can have new CD/DVDs automatically partially cached (directory and file caching), mirrored (complete caching of CDs) or archived (available only from the hard disk). The administrator may also select which discs to cache manually. These preferences are all managed with an intuitive Web user interface.

As a result, many more CDs/DVDs can be available to network users. In addition, the time is shortened to gain access to data on multiple CDs, with throughput of up to 2700 Kbps. Lastly, there are no delays, downtime or unavailable data from swapping discs in multi-disc CD changers; and valuable CDs and DVDs can be removed and kept secure.

Performance Further Enhanced by ETRAX 100

The network ETRAX 100 is a fifth-generation optimized RISC processor designed by Axis to improve the efficiency and speed of network-attached devices. It is a core of Axis ThinServerT Technology, which also includes embedded software consisting of self-contained, "thin" versions of popular operating systems and a Web server for consistent, network-wide management. The ETRAX 100 gives the AXIS StorPoint CD E100 speeds of up to 2700 M/bytes per second, depending on system and network configurations. The ETRAX 100 integrates the SCSI controller, processor and network interface card into one ASIC design. Additionally, the new board is equipped with 4MB of Flash memory and 32MB of RAM, expandable to 160MB.

Client Software Gives Point-and-Click Access to Networked CD/DVDs

Like other Axis storage products, the AXIS StorPoint CD E100 comes with optional AXIS StorPoint DISCO software to make it easy for users to see and use all CDs and DVDs networked by multiple AXIS StorPoint CD servers on their department or enterprise networks. AXIS StorPoint DISCO automatically locates and presents CD/DVD titles in one or several folders, at the user's choice. This "one-point" access to all networked CD/DVDs no matter where they are located is a simple yet powerful tool for end users, and relieves administrators from end users asking where to find networked data.

The optional software is installed in a matter of seconds via an installation wizard on Microsoft Windows 95/98 or NT clients. No server-based software is involved. Users can opt to access the AXIS StorPoint CD information either through a desktop shortcut or through Windows Explorer.

"We believe this will take our market dominance in networking CDs/DVDs to a whole new level," remarked Charles Kronauer, senior product terranet.marketing manager for Axis Communications, Inc. "The performance can't be beat, and the features and price make this an excellent choice for everything from small offices and workgroups to enterprises. On top of that, our strong network of solution providers means end users will have a wide choice of networked CD/DVD solutions based on the AXIS StorPoint CD E100."

Pricing and Availability

The AXIS StorPoint CD E100 is available now as part of complete CD tower solutions offered by Axis premium network storage tower vendor distribution partners. End user pricing for total solutions with the AXIS StorPoint CD E100 technology is expected to begin at $3,000 depending on the tower configuration and capacity of included drives. The AXIS StorPoint CD E100 for integrators is available through major distributors. AXIS StorPoint DISCO is free as a download from the Axis Web site (www.axis.com).

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