sTec, Inc.

SSD Industry Leader Addresses Growing Demand for Tailored Data Centers

SANTA ANA, Calif., 2013-04-02 14:00 CEST (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --
 sTec, Inc. (NASDAQ:STEC), a leading global provider of solid-state storage
solutions, today announced its extensive range of solid-state solutions are now
available to enterprise customers through the company's new direct sales and
global channel programs. Building upon its unmatched, two-decade track record
of delivering flash-based storage solutions through server and storage OEMs,
sTec has added highly experienced channel partners and broadened the technical
and market expertise of its direct sales force, delivering a team of
professionals with extensive backgrounds in enterprise storage. These additions
serve to expand sTec's reach into the enterprise and in key vertical markets,
including oil and gas, federal government, telecommunications, financial
services, cloud, and social media. 

Transforming Data Centers with Added Expertise, Expanded Sales Channels

With its newly expanded global reach and vertical-market expertise, sTec is now
strategically organized to best serve the enterprise storage industry as it
undergoes a significant transformation. Market research indicates that
enterprise storage is rapidly shifting to scalable architectures tailored
toward specific applications that depend less on pre-configured servers and
other storage systems. sTec's new direct-to-user approach supports the tailored
data-center model by providing IT professionals access to its enterprise-class
solid-state drives (SSDs) and software, and specialized sTec® application and
storage market expertise. 

"The enterprise storage market is undergoing a transformation in which
organizations are looking beyond general-purpose solutions for their
infrastructures and toward a customized installation for high-end, data-driven
applications and workloads," said Jeff Janukowicz, research director, Solid
State Drives and Enabling Technologies at IDC. "We estimate that by 2016 just
under half of all enterprise storage capacity shipped will be through
non-system OEM channels, which include shipments directly to hyperscale cloud
data centers, ODMs, and specialized system integrators, presenting a clear
opportunity for providers that can offer a variety of storage solutions geared
toward specific vertical deployments and application requirements." 

Addressing the new market landscape, sTec's restructured organization includes
over 50 new professionals from industry-leading storage vendors with extensive
experience developing customized solutions for data centers. The expanded sales
infrastructure complements the company's comprehensive channel program, and
dramatically broadens enterprises' direct access to sTec's well-established
solid-state storage solutions. sTec is further expanding its global channel
program through partners with particular expertise and proximity to the
company's customers, enabling it to best serve its targeted vertical markets. 

"As the company that has shipped more SSDs to the enterprise than any other
supplier, we have the unique capability to provide critical application
knowledge and experience to solve our customers' most critical issues," said
Ali Zadeh, corporate senior vice president and chief marketing officer, and
general manager of the Systems and Software Group, sTec. "While there will
always be enterprise environments based on turn-key storage solutions, today
many IT managers must tailor their data center infrastructures to suit specific
applications and workloads. With our recently expanded portfolio of solid-state
storage solutions and new vertical-market and applications expertise, sTec is
the ideal solutions provider to address the emerging tailored data center
model." 

Industry-Wide Endorsements

"We required a storage solution that could not only meet our hardware demands,
but also combine several SSD formats with caching software that improved
performance and manageability," said Daniel Iniguez, IT Manager, NYX Cosmetics,
an international cosmetics maker. "sTec's SSDs have exceeded our expectations
and, working in tandem with EnhanceIO™, address high storage loads and caching
without fail." 

"sTec has an incomparable reputation in SSD solutions, which complement our
hypervisor software exceptionally well," said Carlos Carreras, vice president,
alliances and business development, DataCore Software, a leader in hypervisor
storage software. 

"The government markets that Norseman serves demand fast, reliable, solid-state
storage solutions backed by a commitment to customer service," said Justin
Bonner, chief executive officer, Norseman Defense Technologies, an IT solutions
integrator and consultant. "sTec has shown its value in partner loyalty and
responsiveness, and we are proud to offer their innovative solutions to our
customers." 

About sTec, Inc.

sTec, Inc. is a leading global provider of enterprise-class solid-state storage
solutions designed for the ever-growing performance, reliability and endurance
requirements of today's advanced data centers. The industry's first company to
deploy solid-state drives (SSDs) into large-scale enterprise environments, sTec
offers the industry's widest range of solid-state storage solutions, which
protect critical information for major business and government organizations
worldwide. Headquartered in Santa Ana, California, sTec also serves the
embedded and military/aerospace markets with SSDs for industrial and rugged
environments. For more information, visit www.stec-inc.com. 

sTec, the sTec logo and EnhanceIO are either registered trademarks or
trademarks of sTec, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All
other trademarks or brand names referred to herein are the property of their
respective owners. 

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995. This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties, including those statements concerning sTec's reach into the
enterprise and vertical markets, including oil and gas, federal government,
telecommunications, financial services, cloud, and social media; sTec's global
channel program; new sales and marketing infrastructure; the shift in
enterprise storage towards scalable and tailored architectures; the
transformation of the enterprise storage industry in general; and sales of SSDs
to the enterprise. Such forward-looking statements are based on current
expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors
that could delay, divert or change any of them, and cause actual outcomes and
results to differ materially from current expectations. Important factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied
in forward-looking statements are detailed in filings with the U.S. Securities
and Exchange Commission, made from time to time by sTec, including its most
recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form
10-Q, and its subsequent Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on
the Investor Relations section of sTec's website at www.stec-inc.com. The
information contained in this press release is a statement of sTec's present
intentions, beliefs or expectations. sTec may change its intentions, beliefs or
expectations, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such
factors, from sTec 's assumptions and otherwise. Except as required by law,
sTec undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any
forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after
the date thereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. 


         Jerry Steach
         Director, Public Relations
         sTec, Inc.
         (415) 222-9996
         jsteach@stec-inc.com
         
         Merrill Freund or Lauren Whitehouse
         Schwartz MSL
         (415) 512-0770
         stec@schwartzmsl.com