SAN JOSE, Calif.--Oct. 16, 2001-- Imation Corp., a worldwide leader in data storage and information management, announced today at the Fibre Channel Technology Conference in San Jose, Calif. it is offering its independent enterprise storage consulting and testing services to the government market on the GSA schedule. The offerings, listed under GSA contract number GS-35F-5594H, are facilitated by Imation's senior storage architects and engineers, and are designed to help government agencies effectively deal with their most pressing storage issues. "At a time when managing and protecting production data is more important than ever, the need for independent consultants with a high-level storage networking skill set is critical,'' said Bill Peldzus, Imation storage consulting marketing manager. "The government market is dealing with a massive and increasing amount of mission-critical data, and assessing and building the best architecture to manage that data is not an easy process. We recognize that government institutions are using cutting-edge technologies and architectures to manage their data storage requirements, making the need for independent counsel in planning for the future that much more important.'' The Imation GSA offering simplifies and streamlines the buying process - especially with its specialized, vendor-neutral skill-set - which lets government IT staff focus on defining business requirements, rather than specifying and buying specific storage networking technology. For example, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) tapped Imation's expertise on a program to implement a new storage area network (SAN). Working with Imation's vendor-neutral consultants and test lab, the agency was able to streamline the process of identifying, choosing and testing technology. Imation also assisted the FDIC with planning and proof-of-concept testing to ensure that current and future storage requirements were adequately addressed. In addition, Imation has procedures in place to respond to the elevated security requirements of government agencies, by providing clients with a team of storage consultants who have received top security clearance. Along with its storage consulting services, Imation, under the GSA contract, also provides independent proof-of-concept testing services in its Storage Networking Lab. The lab makes testing as risk-free and cost-effective as possible by allowing that testing to take place in a working environment, while at the same time allowing the GSA to vary the storage configurations being tested. With Imation's consulting and testing services, government agencies can purchase turnkey consultative and testing services directly from the GSA schedule to effectively help manage their storage requirements. About Imation Storage Professional Services and Storage Networking Lab Imation Storage Professional Services offers customers independent assessment, design, and proof-of-concept testing. The storage architects and storage engineers are highly skilled in the full array of storage networking technologies and concepts. Imation's highly skilled staff, coupled with its Storage Networking Lab capabilities, offers customers end-to-end services for storage infrastructure solutions. The Imation Storage Networking Lab, located at Imation headquarters in Oakdale, Minnesota, is a world-class facility that offers vendor-independent testing and services to help companies and equipment manufacturers develop and evaluate data storage solutions in an objective environment. Imation's Storage Networking Lab provides a hands-on testing environment that makes integrating storage networking solutions into business environments as risk-free and cost-effective as possible. For more information on Imation Storage Professional Services, please visit their website at www.imation.com/storageconsulting, or contact via e-mail at [email protected].