MILPITAS, California, March 17 /PRNewswire/ --

- Recognition Underscores Adaptec Channel Leadership in Unified Serial(R) (SATA/SAS) RAID Solutions

Adaptec, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADPT), a global leader in storage solutions, today announced that it was named one of the Top 20 Strategic Storage Vendors by ChannelWeb, the industry leader in technology sales information, and that it has been named Best Channel Vendor in the storage category by Business Solutions, a leading technology magazine focused on growth strategies for the IT channel. Adaptec was the only RAID controller vendor to earn either of these awards.

We are honored by this recognition and thank our channel partners worldwide for their vote of confidence, said John Noellert, vice president of Worldwide Sales, Adaptec. For the past several years we have worked diligently to support our partners with the highest quality technical and sales resources. That, combined with the delivery of best-in-class products in our segment, has led to significant market share increases for Adaptec. We remain committed to delivering even greater innovation and support to the storage channel in the coming years.

Adaptec provides resellers, system builders and integrators with the knowledge and expertise necessary to profitably maximize sales, create differentiation and build reputations as providers of best-in-class storage solutions. Adaptec works with its channel partners to grow profits by providing a range of sales, marketing, technical, and service benefits. These include sales support from technology and market specialists, access to special product collateral and pricing information, and eligibility for product evaluation and demo units. Technical support, including drivers, documentation and training materials are also provided to all channel partners.

Two examples of the success of Adaptec in the channel are well illustrated in the channel efforts at Penguin Computing, www.penguincomputing.com, a provider of integrated Linux HPC clustering solutions, and SoftLayer Technologies, www.softlayer.com, a world-class provider of on-demand virtual data center services.

Penguin has been a successful innovator for more than a decade, providing Linux HPC solutions to a variety of industries. Adaptec provides Penguin with the tools necessary for the company to create top-tier solutions for its customers. According to Philip Pokorny, Penguin's chief hardware architect, Adaptec's commitment to our success is unparalleled. They go above and beyond in providing the Penguin Computing cluster integration team with the technical expertise, training, marketing resources, and support necessary to give us a competitive edge with our High Performance Computing customers, who demand the ultimate in data storage performance and reliability, said Pokorny. These resources coupled with Adaptec's strong global reputation, leading-edge power-efficient technologies and comprehensive Linux support make it the smart choice for RAID controller solutions.

At SoftLayer, the Adaptec Connect Channel Program has proved to be extremely beneficial to the company's strategy of delivering on-demand virtual data center services on a global basis from facilities located in Dallas, TX; Seattle, WA; and Washington, D.C. SoftLayer integrates all facets of IT to deliver industry-leading solutions that are fully automated, empowering customers with complete control, security, scalability, and ease-of-management of their IT environment.

Adaptec's service mirrors SoftLayer's commitment to providing our customers with the highest possible level of product and service quality, performance, responsiveness, and reliability, said George Karidis, chief strategy officer, SoftLayer. Adaptec products provide a wide range of connectivity and compatibility options allowing us to easily develop a range of customized data storage solutions to suit the needs of our customers.

About Adaptec

Adaptec provides trusted storage solutions that reliably move, manage, and protect critical data and digital content. Adaptec's software and hardware-based solutions are delivered through leading channel partners and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) to provide storage connectivity, data protection, and networked storage to enterprises, government organizations, medium and small businesses worldwide. More information is available at www.adaptec.com.

Adaptec is a registered trademark and Unified Serial is a trademark in the United States and other countries. Other company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Adaptec disclaims any and all rights in these trademarks.

Contact: Sara Lee Walt Company for Adaptec +1-408-369-7200 ext. 2980 slee@walt.com

Sara Lee of Walt Company, +1-408-369-7200, ext. 2980, slee@walt.com, for Adaptec, Inc.