Vision Solutions Announces Distribution Agreement With IBM

Technology and Distribution Initiatives Strengthen Relationship Between IBM and Vision Solutions as They Continue to Provide Unsurpassed Business Resiliency Solutions for Customers


IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - October 1, 2008) - Vision Solutions, a leading high availability and disaster recovery solutions provider in IBM Power Systems markets, today announced a worldwide distribution agreement with IBM (NYSE: IBM) designed to benefit partners and customers. Effective immediately, IBM will begin distributing Vision Cluster1™ as a flagship enterprise cluster management solution for the IBM i operating system.

"With ever-growing collaboration, both companies have agreed to share intellectual property, further integrate technologies and align distribution resources more closely," says Vision Solutions' President and CEO, Nicolaas Vlok. "We continue to innovate with IBM to embrace and extend technologies throughout the world, enabling partners to bring improved availability solutions to customers of all sizes."

Today's announcement includes elements designed to enhance the customer experience as IBM and Vision continue to work aggressively from their respective R&D labs to deliver the next generation of integrated high availability and disaster recovery solutions for mid-market to enterprise customers. Vision Solutions has one of the largest IBM Power Systems support infrastructures in the world, providing 24/7 customer service to more than 7,000 customers. IBM and Vision Solutions are aligning their channels to provide unparalleled market coverage and service to customers. For instance, Vision partners are now able to purchase Cluster1 and IBM's PowerHA for i from Vision Solutions or IBM, whichever is easiest.

Developed in close cooperation with IBM, Vision Cluster1 extends IBM PowerHA capabilities and adds enhanced monitoring and management capabilities that support IBM technologies such as Switched Disk, Cross Site Mirroring and Cluster Services. Cluster1 integrates these IBM technologies with Logical Replication solutions to provide true enterprise-class high availability and disaster recovery protection.

"Too many customers struggle to attain required levels of availability demanded by today's marketplace," says Ross Mauri, general manager of IBM Power Systems. "With this announcement, IBM now brings an even more robust solution to our partners and customers. Our relationship with Vision is long-standing and continues to prove beneficial for both companies. This agreement will make it easier for companies of all sizes to obtain market-leading availability solutions to fit their unique needs."

"This announcement is welcome news for IBM partners who want to simplify the deployment of business resiliency solutions on Power Systems," says Joe Mertens, president of Sirius Computer Solutions, Inc., an IBM and Vision Solutions business partner. "Customers are the ultimate beneficiaries of offerings that are better integrated and more easily acquired and implemented, and then supported by the leading high availability and disaster recovery solutions provider in IBM Power Systems markets."

Vision Cluster1 provides enhanced monitoring and autonomic capabilities that enable customers to more easily manage complex enterprise environments and meet aggressive RTOs and RPOs. When bundled with Vision's logical replication solutions, customers will benefit from an improved level of protection. Vision Cluster1 includes one-button switch capabilities that work with or without a logical replication solution. Vision's certified service providers can greatly simplify the deployment of complex cluster topologies to ensure solutions are deployed more efficiently and with less downtime risk. Cluster1 is also backed by 24/7 certified support -- these integrated offerings keep the world's most valuable IBM i environments highly available.

About Vision Solutions

Vision Solutions, Inc. is a leading global provider of high availability, disaster recovery and data management solutions for IBM® Power Systems. With a portfolio spanning the industry's most innovative and trusted HA technologies from iTERA™, MIMIX® and ORION™ Solutions, Vision keeps critical businesses information continuously protected and available. Affordable and easy to use, Vision products ensure business continuity, increase productivity, reduce operating costs and satisfy compliance requirements. Vision also offers advanced cluster management and systems management solutions, and support for i, Windows, and AIX operating environments. As IBM's largest high availability Premier Business Partner (NYSE: IBM), Vision Solutions oversees a global network of business partners and services and support professionals to help our customers achieve their business goals. Privately held by Thoma Cressey Bravo, Inc., Vision Solutions is headquartered in Irvine, California with offices worldwide. For more information, visit www.visionsolutions.com or call 800.957.4511.

Contact Information: CONTACT: Debbie Madoni Lewis Vision Solutions Phone: 845.892.5463