Hitachi Data Systems Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (NYSE: HIT) and the only provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions, today announced that the company has been named the number one provider of block-level virtualization according to TheInfoPro, an independent research network created by alumni of Gartner, Giga and Bell Labs that produces fundamental, objective, “grass roots” research on markets, vendors, issues, future adoption plans and investor confidence.

The results were attained following structured interviews with Fortune 1000 storage professionals across a variety of vertical industries. Throughout the last 10 iterations of TheInfoPro’s Storage Study, spanning five years, Hitachi Data Systems has consistently led in customers’ ratings for both in-use block-level virtualization and near-term deployments.

“The steady stream of positive customer feedback speaks to the strength of our storage solutions and our unique ability to deliver these in a services-oriented approach,” said Hu Yoshida, CTO, Hitachi Data Systems. “Hitachi is the only company to deliver storage virtualization in a scalable, enterprise-class, storage control unit, which in turn, provides the capability to aggregate the storage services of the control unit to enhance lower level storage resources. Combining storage services like thin provisioning in the control unit with virtualization of external storage creates a powerful combination designed to dramatically improve storage utilization across all tiers of virtualized storage. The results of this study clearly demonstrate that there is strong demand for enterprise-class storage virtualization, and we’re pleased to be recognized as the first choice among the Fortune 1000.”

“The results of our study show that the number of block-virtualization users are growing sizably, with deployments nearly doubling from 2006 to 2007,” said Robert L. Stevenson, managing director, Storage Practice, TheInfoPro. “Hitachi Data Systems has proven time and again that it is the vendor of choice when it comes to helping customers leverage the best virtualization technologies to manage burgeoning data growth and mitigate risk factors.”

TheInfoPro Wave Research Approach

TheInfoPro is an independent research network whose approach is unparalled in the IT industry. The network uses experts to interview and engage end user practitioners in a dialogue – the result of which is a deeper insight into the real issues surrounding the storage industry versus traditional, web-based surveys. The core of the research centers on delivering transparent research results that focus on key information technology sectors and that is free from vendor and analyst opinion. TheInfoPro’s methodology and research process is founded on this principle of transparency as the company conducts structured interviews in six month waves aimed at delivering “fact-based” intelligence and results that are without bias, spin or intermediation. For more information, visit TheInfoPro’s Peer Network website at www.theinfopro.net/peernetwork.