KOM Inc. changed its corporate name to KOM Networks in October 2000. Any reference to former product names or company name KOM Networks may have been changed to reflect current company and product names.

KOM Networks' OptiStorm and Panasonic DVD-RAM Drives Provide Cost-effective Solution for Reading/Managing Data from Multiple Types of Media

Modular Solution Scales from Stand-alone DVD-RAM Drive to Daisy-Chained, Terabyte-capacity Jukeboxes in Clustered, Networked Environments

Milpitas CA, USA - January 26, 2000
Panasonic® and KOM Networks jointly announced today that KOM Networks' OptiStorm® DVD for Windows® NT storage management solution supports Panasonic 5.2GB DVD-RAM drives and jukeboxes equipped with the drives. Designed to optimize the capabilities of the DVD-RAM format, OptiStorm connects the drives directly to the host system to provide all clients, including PC, UNIX®, Macintosh®, Power Mac™ and Novel™ systems with fast, transparent access to volumes of data. The hardware/software combination is unique in that it provides a single, cost-effective solution for reading and managing data from discs currently accepted by DVD-RAM, DVD-ROM, DVD video, and DVD-R drives as well as CD-ROM, CD Audio, CD-R, CD-RW and video CD drives.

KOM Networks, a 15-year veteran in the storage management industry, is the only developer that integrates its enterprise storage software at the device level. Support for UDF and all NTFS and FAT attributes ensures full utilization of NT's extensive capabilities, including its comprehensive security features and clustering support. With options ranging from read-only access and restricted writes to invisible drives, KOM Networks' DVD-RAM storage management solution actually exceeds NT's advanced security features.

Clustering ensures higher levels of service and availability--essential components for clients that require continuous data access. If any system in the cluster fails, the cluster software disperses the work from the failed system to the remaining systems in the cluster. OptiStorm is the only storage management application that provides cluster support for DVD-RAM drives and jukeboxes within a single application.

Network managers can customize and automate the storage management of their data by choosing from OptiStorm's extensive list of data management features, including task scheduling, which allows daily repetitive data management tasks to be scheduled for off-peak hours.

With OptiStorm, the Panasonic DVD-RAM drives are completely transparent to the operating system and the application software. As a result, for users, a drive simply appears as a large hard drive. Users have drag and drop filing capabilities and point-and-click access. Multi-threaded operation handles multiple access requests simultaneously for faster performance.

Performance is further enhanced through OptiStorm's direct-read and write capability which allows files to be directly written to, or read from the DVD-RAM disc without copying selected files to cache. Direct-read and write enables applications to rapidly utilize large files while preserving magnetic disk space.

Next to capacity and performance, scalability is a key requirement for organizations of all sizes. Using the medical industry as an example, Dr. Taher Shaath, KOM Networks CEO explained how OptiStorm and the Panasonic DVD-RAM drive scale to accommodate the performance, reliability and capacity needs of the complete spectrum of users at an exceptionally low storage cost. "OptiStorm is a modular application and can be used with a standalone DVD-RAM drive for a doctor's office, with several daisy-chained drives for a radiology lab or with one or more DVD-RAM jukeboxes for an entire hospital." Shaath added that by combining a DVD-RAM jukebox, OptiStorm and NT's Web farm support, organizations also have an excellent storage/storage management solution for E-commerce applications.

"For Panasonic and KOM Networks, true scalability also includes broad support for other technologies so individuals and networked users can protect their investments in previously stored data," said Jeff Saake, Group General Manager of Panasonic Industrial Company's Computer Technology Group. "A single DVD-RAM drive can be used to read a wide range of CDs and DVDs, and the only application you need to make the data available to multiple users is OptiStorm. This is an approach that can significantly reduce an organization's hardware and software costs while simplifying data management."

About KOM Networks

KOM Networks, founded in 1969, is the world leader of innovative storage management software solutions. Pioneers of Data Protection & Retention, KOM Networks' products provide Compliance, Archiving and Information Lifecycle Management (ILM) to over 10,000 installations globally. KOM Networks products are delivered through a worldwide network of value-added resellers, strategic partnerships and alliances.

KOM Networks' easy-to-integrate products let you Simply Manage, Protect, and Serve STORAGE, The Way You Want It. For more information please visit www.komnetworks.com.

About Panasonic

The Panasonic DVD-RAM OEM drive is manufactured by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (NYSE: MC), one of the world's leading producers of CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives and other DVD technology-based products. The drives are marketed by the company's principal North American subsidiary, Matsushita Electric Corp. of America. For more information on the Panasonic DVD-RAM OEM drive and media, contact Panasonic Industrial Company, 1600 McCandless Drive, Milpitas, CA 95035; (408) 945-5600, FAX (408) 262-4214, E-mail berzind@panasonic.com. Or, visit the company's Web site at www.panasonic.com/oemdvd-ram. For more information on Panasonic-branded DVD-RAM drives and media, contact Panasonic Document Imaging Company, Two Panasonic Way 7D-9, Secaucus, NJ 07030 (201) 392-6355, www.panasonic.com/storage or E-mail truppim@panasonic.com. In Canada, contact Panasonic Canada, Ambler Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 2T3, Canada; (905) 238-2254, FAX (905) 238-2414, E-mail rkwong@panasonic.ca.