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NetApp STRENGTHENS COMMITMENT TO EASTERN EUROPE

As part of the company's worldwide expansion and growth, Network Appliance announced that it is strengthening its commitment to Eastern Europe with the opening of an office in Moscow. The NetApp Moscow office will primarily offer sales support to NetApp distribution, channel, and systems integrator partners in Russia and neighboring countries, including Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Ukraine.

"Our success in the Russian and Eastern European markets has demonstrated strong enterprise demand for our unified storage solutions to solve a variety of data management challenges central to business today," explained Andreas Konig, vice president of European Sales at Network Appliance. "With technologically advanced solutions that unify SAN and NAS, we satisfy customers' needs for robust, simplified storage with hardware and software that distinguish us in the industry. Expanding in Russia will help Russian and neighboring countries' businesses better utilize their data assets for competitive advantage."

Network Appliance has been active in Russia and Eastern Europe for more than five years. Before the opening of the Moscow office, the customers in the region were served from Network Appliance in Munich, Germany. During that time, NetApp established an indirect sales structure with local sales partners, including Fujitsu Siemens Computers, IT-Company, I-TECO, Jet, Kwazar-Mizro, Lynx, Siemens Business Services, S&T and Teckhnoserv.

Concurrent with the further expansion of its sales network in the region, NetApp also aims to use its local presence to strengthen business relationships with technology partners such as Intel Corp, Oracle Corp and VERITAS Software. Initial, intensive partner activities are already under way in Russia and Eastern Europe, as shown by the company's participation at VERITAS Vision 2004 in Warsaw and Moscow, at the Intel Developer Forum, and at the Oracle User Conference in Moscow.

Russian customers of NetApp include Amdocs, Cadence Russia, Intel Russia, Raiffeisenbank Moscow and Renault Moscow.