KOM Networks certifies Sony's New 5.2GB MO and WORM Optical Drives

Ottawa, ON Canada – May 4, 1998

KOM Networks a leading provider of storage management solutions based in Ottawa, Ontario, today announced (1) certification of its software products for the new Sony Electronics Inc. 5.2GB optical drives and libraries and (2) planned certification for later this summer of the new Sony 5.25-inch, 5.2GB permanent WORM technology.

This announcement maintains KOM Networks' technical leadership in developing leading edge optical storage management software.

Sony and KOM Networks have aggressively worked together on the certification for our new 5.2GB MO drive and libraries. The Sony SMO-F551 MO drive and libraries offers near-hard drive speed access to 5.2GB of data, archival capability, reliability and portability - making it ideal for such data-intensive applications as document and medical imaging, pre-press, multimedia, graphics, design and audio/video editing. Our users continually require more and more capacity, without sacrificing their legacy media, "Sony and KOM Networks intend to bring them removable storage products and software that meet and exceed these needs," commented Fred Bedard, general manager of integrated storage products for Sony Electronics' Computer Components and Peripherals Group. Today Sony delivers over 70% of the industry's 5.25 optical drive shipments. The new 5.2GB drive represents the most significant storage event this year for the document imaging and storage marketplace. The economies of optical library storage will double resulting in more cost effective large scale implementations. By expanding its 5.25-inch, 2.6GB magneto optical (MO) library line to include permanent 5.2GB WORM configurations, Sony will deliver true "write-once" recording in an ISO standard 5.25-inch format which was previously only available in 12" and 14" platters.

"With products such as OptiStorm NT and OptiServer UNIX, KOM Networks is the only developer that integrates its optical storage software at the device level, providing full utilization of the Native File System's (NFS) extensive capabilities" states Richard Game, Vice President (Sales & Marketing) of KOM Networks "KOM Networks does not use a proprietary file system, hence integration of this software is completely seamless and transparent to users. With its advanced HSM caching (RAID, IDE, SCSI), OptiStorm NT is the fastest, most feature-rich and stable jukebox management software in the industry".

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.

Sony Electronics Inc., is based in San Jose, CA, the Integrated Storage Products Division of Sony Electronics' Computer Components and Peripherals Group markets MO and WORM drives and libraries through OEMs, industrial distributors and resellers. For additional information about Sony storage products, call (800) 352-7669 or visit http://www.sony.com/storagebysony.