HAVANT, England, Sept. 15 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Xyratex (Nasdaq: XRTX), a leading provider of enterprise class data storage subsystems and storage process technology, announced today the expansion of its partnership with Omneon, Inc., a leading provider of scalable media server and active storage systems for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. The new agreement will add the Xyratex storage server platform to the existing storage enclosure family for the Omneon MediaGrid solution.

"Xyratex's innovative technology is driving the convergence of storage and servers for an integrated appliance solution," said Geoff Stedman, senior vice president of marketing and business development at Omneon. "Our continued close collaboration will enable us to provide versatile high-performance storage solutions, while lowering the support and integration costs of the Omneon MediaGrid."

The Omneon MediaGrid offers high-performance shared storage and is the first storage system to play an active part in broadcast workflows by performing processing functions on content stored within. Because it uses multiple intelligent, independent, and interconnected storage servers to combine grid storage and grid computing, the Omneon MediaGrid makes it easier and faster for users and applications throughout a workflow to retrieve digital media. High-resolution broadcast content can be automatically archived to the Omneon MediaGrid, storing months of programming content which is readily available for reuse.

"The massive amount of rich digital media we generate today demands a highly scalable, grid-based approach to cost-effectively meet the intense performance and availability demands typical of this market. The combination of Xyratex storage and Omneon's MediaGrid system provides an optimum solution for corporate clients seeking to create and distribute quality rich media content affordably and efficiently," said Terri McClure, a senior analyst at Milford, Mass.-based Enterprise Strategy Group. "The Xyratex converged storage server solution integrates both server and storage functions into a turnkey appliance that meets the demanding requirements of their OEMs in the video production market."

Xyratex HS-1235 converged storage server product enables OEM customers to reduce costs and rack space as well as increase performance. The HS-1235 is a 2U 12 bay enterprise storage box with an industry standard EATX motherboard with scalable processing and memory capabilities for the different capacity and performance requirements. This allows integration of storage applications in the same physical enclosure - reducing cost and increasing efficiency.

"Xyratex is excited about our expanded relationship with Omneon as their storage partner," said Todd Gresham, senior vice president, Networked Storage Solutions, Xyratex. "This latest announcement introduces our storage server product family into the Omneon MediaGrid product line, delivering a centralized content storage platform that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power."

About Omneon

Omneon, Inc., is a leading provider of scalable media server and active storage systems that optimize workflow productivity and on-air reliability for the production, distribution, and management of digital media. Omneon is a pioneer in the use of advanced IT technologies and open systems for broadcast applications, producing a modular and expandable video server architecture in the Omneon Spectrum. The company's MediaGrid active storage system delivers centralized content storage that is scalable in capacity, bandwidth, and media-processing power. The company has an extensive global presence with customers in more than 50 countries on six continents. Omneon is on the Web at www.Omneon.com.

About Xyratex

Xyratex is a leading provider of enterprise-class data storage subsystems and storage process technology. The company designs and manufactures enabling technology that provides OEM and disk drive manufacturer customers with data storage products to support high-performance storage and data communication networks. Xyratex has over 25 years of experience in research and development relating to disk drives, storage systems and high-speed communication protocols.

Founded in 1994 in an MBO from IBM, and with headquarters in the UK, Xyratex has an established global base with R&D and operational facilities in Europe, the United States and South East Asia.

SOURCE Xyratex