NIRVANIX CEO PATRICK HARR WARNS ARCHIVING TO TAPE IS PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Today’s Storage Delivery Network offers companies better protection, online access and cost savings compared to archaic removable, offline tape

SAN DIEGO – June 13, 2008 – Patrick Harr, CEO of Nirvanix, the premier “Cloud Storage” platform provider, today warned that companies still using tape-based backups for long-term archive of business-critical information are playing “Russian Roulette” by entrusting recoverability to failure-prone and cumbersome media that can potentially expose sensitive financial and personal data if it winds up in the wrong hands after loss or theft.

Backing up data to tape is only half the battle. That information may become worthless if it isn’t available when it needs to be recovered. Companies using tape as their primary archive medium report failure in 20 to 50 percent of restore incidences. Media is vulnerable to conditions such as heat and humidity. These same companies are reporting retrieval costs in the thousands of dollars per incidence when this offline and off-site data cannot readily be restored. Tape drives and platform-specific software need to be maintained and kept on site in order to read outdated generations of media. All of which are small bumps on the road if this already-vulnerable data archive method results in tapes that are lost or stolen.

The latest example of data loss due to missing or stolen tapes is the University of Utah, which last week acknowledged that backup tapes containing 2.2 million patient billing records, including Social Security numbers of the University of Utah Hospitals and Clinics, were stolen from the car of a courier service employee. As a result the university will be notifying all patients by mail and offering them free credit-monitoring services.

“The major advantage of backing up to tape is the portability in being able to remove this information to an off-site location but it is also the technology’s major liability,” said Harr. “As incidents of unrecoverable data continue to be reported, either by unreadable tapes or media that is lost or stolen, the chance of your company’s information meeting the same fate are increasingly becoming a ‘when’ not an ‘if’ proposition. Advances in data storage, such as keeping information safeguarded on a highly scalable online storage and delivery platform, make tape-based archiving an archaic solution by all standards anyway. Companies have better options to reduce exposure to data misuse and minimizing potential financial liability than entrusting records to tape.”

Standard practice for many organizations is to store backup tapes at off-site facilities as part of a recovery plan in the event of disasters such as fire, flood or earthquakes. But with an online storage platform, such as the Nirvanix Storage Delivery Network, data can be stored on various geographically dispersed storage nodes, ensuring maximum uptime and availability of billions of files without compromising quality or reliability.

Built-in enhanced security capabilities such as SSL, strong password authentication and de-identified physical file information prevents access to data without a three-step key. A 256-bit AES encryption client is offered for additional security. Additionally, access to the Nirvanix Storage Delivery Cloud can be made through virtual NAS mounts using either CIFS or NFS protocols.

Nirvanix offers Service Level Agreements with up to 100 percent uptime guarantees depending on business requirements. Services are monitored in the company’s Network Operations Center 24/7. Availability is ensured through an architecture that eliminates a single point of failure across the Storage Delivery Network worldwide.

About The Storage Delivery Network
Nirvanix has built a global cluster of storage nodes collectively referred to as the Storage Delivery Network (SDN), powered by the Nirvanix Internet Media File System (IMFS). The SDN intelligently stores, delivers and processes storage requests in the best network location, providing the best user experience in the marketplace. With the ability to store multiple file copies in multiple geographic nodes, the SDN enables unparalleled data availability for developers, businesses and enterprises.

By using the Nirvanix SDN versus alternatives such as adding network storage systems or using first generation online storage platforms, businesses are guaranteed a shorter time-to-market, reduced costs, and also benefit from better flexibility and control for their operations.

About Nirvanix

Privately held Nirvanix, based in San Diego, California, is the premier “Cloud Storage” platform provider worldwide. The company has raised more than $18 million in funding from world-class investors including Intel Capital and secured Fortune 50, leading media and entertainment companies and innovative Web 2.0 leaders. For more information about the company and its services, visit www.nirvanix.com.

Contact Client:

Adrian Herrera | Director of Marketing
Phone: 619.764.5650 ext. 306 | Email: Adrian.Herrera@Nirvanix.com

Contact Agency:

Judy Smith | JPR Communications
Phone: 818-386-0403 | Email: judys@jprcom.com