***********************************************************
As part of the company's continuing worldwide expansion and growth, Network Appliance Inc (NetApp)today (January 11) announced that it was strengthening its commitment to Asia-Pacific with the opening of its regional headquarters in Hong Kong.
The Network Appliance Hong Kong office will offer regional headquarters' functions to NetApp offices, distribution, channel and systems integrator partners in the Asia-Pacific region, including Australia, Greater China, India, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.
According to IDC reports, disk storage systems and storage software spending in Asia-Pacific (including Japan) amounted to US$6.1 billion in 2005, growing to US$7.1 billion in 2009. This offers a strong indication of the potential for growth in this region for NetApp customers and the company wants to be ready to meet the increased data storage needs.
"Asia-Pacific is an important market for us, representing 12-14% of our revenues in any quarter," explained Mr Charlie Trentacosti, Vice President and General Manager for Asia-Pacific at NetApp. "In line with the significant opportunities available, our investments here have expanded over the last year and we now have a direct presence in most countries in Asia-Pacific. The new regional headquarters in Hong Kong reflect our strong commitment to our customers and partners in this region. We want to continue providing them with simple solutions to complex business problems. We are confident we can help our customers and potential customers take advantage of the enormous growth expected in this region."
Mr Mike Rowse, Director-General of Investment Promotion at Invest Hong Kong, warmly welcomed NetApp's decision to use Hong Kong as its Asia-Pacific headquarters. "We are delighted that Network Appliance has chosen to expand its business in the region through a base here. The company's confidence and commitment to long-term development in Hong Kong will certainly help enrich our IT industry and enhance our overall competitiveness."
Network Appliance currently employs over 400 staff in the Asia-Pacific, benefiting customers across diverse industry sectors with the ease and reliability of NetApp solutions for the past nine years. NetApp Asia Pacific customers include Air New Zealand, China Everbright Bank, JP Morgan, Reliance Industries, Samsung, South China Morning Post, and Telstra.
About Network Appliance
Network Appliance is a world leader in unified storage solutions for today's data-intensive enterprise. Since its inception in 1992, Network Appliance has delivered technology, product, and partner firsts that simplify data management. More information about Network Appliance is available at www.netapp.com.
NetApp and the NetApp logo are registered trademarks. Network Appliance is a trademark of Network Appliance, Inc in the US and other countries. All other brands or products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders and should be treated as such.
About Invest Hong Kong
Invest Hong Kong is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government department charged with encouraging and facilitating inward investment into the city by providing all the support needed to establish or expand a business presence here. For more information, please visit the website at www.investhk.gov.hk.
Ends/Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:26
NNNN