Dot Hill Makes Data Storage Greener, Safer and Easier to Manage With Latest Round of Patented Technology

LONGMONT, Colo., Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: HILL), a provider of world-class storage solutions and software for OEMs, open storage partners and system integrators, today announced the addition of three new patents to the company's technology portfolio, upping the company's intellectual property total to 75 patents granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

Adding to its patented, environmentally conscious EcoStor™ battery-free cache technology, an integral part of Dot Hill's AssuredSAN™ storage, U.S. patent 7,809,886 is the company's fifth super-capacitor related innovation. The new patent makes it possible to transfer write-data to non-volatile memory if power loss occurs and ensure data is secured.

Dot Hill EcoStor represents a true and unique move to green storage by completely eliminating the need for cache backup batteries, helping to save the environment and reducing service costs for end users. The EcoStor battery-free cache design provides a permanent backup of unwritten cache data in the event of a power failure unlike traditional battery-based designs, which typically hold data for only up to 72 hours, assuming a fully charged battery.

In its ongoing commitment to making storage easier to manage and more accessible, Dot Hill has been awarded U.S. patent 7,818,436 for its invention that improves manageability and ease-of-use by providing a method for multiple users to manage a storage system over multiple networks. Each user can customize their user experience, "filtering" messages, which may consist of information on new volumes, configurations, drive status or firmware updates. By eliminating unnecessary messages and only sending changed information, the patent allows administrators to focus on other priorities. In addition, this technology records and remembers active user sessions, eliminating the need for storage administrators to log in multiple times.

U.S. patent 7,793,145 makes it easier for storage administrators to manage host connection cabling by providing a method for a storage controller to automatically determine if host-side cabling is properly arranged between host computers and redundant storage controllers. The invention takes into account the absence or presence of switches between host computers and storage controllers, as well as single- or dual-port host bus adapters in the host computers, and provides automatic updates to ensure cabling is properly arranged.

"Dot Hill innovation is helping to solve many of today's most challenging storage problems – helping IT to improve performance, increase availability, simplify operations and reduce costs," said Jim Kuenzel, senior vice president of engineering at Dot Hill Systems. "Built on the innovation of our steadily expanding patent portfolio, the Dot Hill Assured™ family of storage solutions delivers outstanding performance, efficiency, flexibility and scale."

Dot Hill was recently recognized as one of the top five companies in its peer group for its significant amount of intellectual property by MDB Capital at its Bright Lights Conference. The Bright Lights Conference highlights the IP stories of 50 public companies which rank in the 90th percentile for technology leadership from over 1,600 small cap companies with U.S. patents granted, as determined by PatentVest, MDB's proprietary IP business intelligence database. Dot Hill's intellectual property, demonstrated by its extensive patent portfolio, is embodied in the company's pillars of innovation within its Assured architecture -- providing a complete platform for addressing customers' storage needs.

About Dot Hill

Offering enterprise-class security, availability and data protection, Dot Hill provides responsive and adaptive storage solutions to meet 24/7/365 business demands. With Dot Hill, businesses can proactively safeguard and manage business data, and leverage operational efficiencies to save time, effort and expense today, while meeting the evolving business needs of tomorrow strategically and cost effectively. Headquartered in Longmont, Colo., Dot Hill has offices and/or representatives in China, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

For more information, visit us at www.dothill.com.

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Certain statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Forward-looking statements include the availability and performance of current or future Dot Hill product features based on the patented technology described in this press release, any competitive advantage that the patents and technology provide to Dot Hill, any positive effect on Dot Hill's financial results due to the patents, and Dot Hill's ability to continue to receive patent protection on current or future technology. The risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: any unforeseen technological, intellectual property, supply or engineering issues, and changing customer preferences. However, there are many other risks not listed here that may affect the future business of Dot Hill, as well as the forward-looking statements contained herein. To learn about such risks and uncertainties, you should read the risk factors set forth in Dot Hill's public filings with the SEC, including the Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q most recently filed by Dot Hill. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as the date on which they were made. Dot Hill undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect later events or circumstances. MDB Capital is wholly independent from Dot Hill, and Dot Hill has no control over or responsibility for statements and analysis made or conducted by MDB Capital.

SOURCE Dot Hill Systems Corp.