EMC rolls out red carpet for CLARiiON customers and resellers

EMC Corporation, the world`s leading provider of enterprise storage systems, software and services, today launched a four-point program (

) to help usher more than 115,000 installed CLARiiON systems into the mainstream of EMC`s global support network. EMC value is delivered to CLARiiON customers through EMC`s award-winning customer service, systems engineering, aggressive R&D, rigorous quality standards, customer focus and passion for time-to-market.

Together, EMC Symmetrix and EMC CLARiiON storage platforms form the foundation of the EMC Enterprise Storage Network and offer an unmatched information storage infrastructure, helping customers protect and leverage all their information -- from workgroup to workforce and beyond. EMC CLARiiON systems clearly stand above the midrange crowd for highly distributed and critical standalone server environments of large enterprises and rapidly growing emerging companies.

Mark Vargo, EMC`s Vice President of Product Marketing, said, "Today`s announcement further validates EMC`s execution of its October 1999 Data General acquisition as a showcase of high-tech corporate integration. EMC has quickly aligned product and service offerings to handle the excellent customer response and, as illustrated by these programs, is delivering EMC value on all fronts to our extended customer base and reseller community." The new CLARiiON program includes:

• Warranty Extension

  - Offers customers six free months on a 12-month warranty contract extension. Eligible customers include those not currently under EMC warranty or service contract who have invested in Fibre Channel-based CLARiiON systems. This includes CLARiiON systems purchased through previous Data General resellers. Through its CLARalert predictive dial-home access to EMC`s global customer support network, CLARiiON customers now enjoy EMC`s unparalleled levels of service. EMC`s 24x7 world-class support has made the company the highest-ranked vendor in the data center, according to independent user satisfaction surveys.

• Reseller Appreciation

  - Provides EMC-authorized resellers with significant financial incentives to help customers upgrade SCSI-based CLARiiON systems (either EMC-branded or reseller-branded systems such as HP Nike and HP Galaxy) to the latest EMC CLARiiON technology.

• EMC Flight Test

  - Offers customers a no-cost, automated, personalized evaluation of their storage system performance in UNIX application environments. Customers can access free software that walks them through a non-invasive self-analysis process.

• Legacy Trade-Up

  - Provides trade-up credit for customers to replace prior-generation SCSI-based CLARiiON systems with current-generation Fibre Channel-based CLARiiON systems.

With a network of Customer Support Centers around the globe, EMC has set a new industry standard for customer service and support. The EMC support network is committed to helping customers maintain the highest possible level of operation and to resolving any service issue in the fastest possible time. This enables organizations to keep their enterprises running at peak level with minimal downtime and without data loss.

EMC Customer Service has dedicated more than 3,000 technical, field and support personnel to its worldwide organization. More than 700 professionals are based at corporate headquarters in Massachusetts, and more than 1,250 experts support North and Latin American customers. International Customer Service is staffed by more than 1,100 professionals from more than 60 field offices spanning 33 countries. Another 36 countries are serviced by EMC-trained customer service personnel provided by business partners.