NETGEAR Acquires Infrant Technologies for USD 60 Million


Strategic move enables NETGEAR to expand storage product portfolio with ReadyNAS(TM) range for SMBs, SOHOs and homes

July 5, 2007

NETGEAR, a worldwide provider of technologically advanced, branded networking products, has announced its acquisition of Infrant Technologies, Inc, a US-based manufacturer of enterprise-level storage products, for USD 60 million. The purchase enables NETGEAR to offer SMBs (small & medium-scale business), SOHOs (small office/home office) and home consumers a complete line-up of feature-rich, scalable and cost-effective storage solutions with network attached storage (NAS) devices from Infrant Technologies in addition to its previous SC101 Storage Central range. The acquisition represents a strategic move for NETGEAR as market experts forecast a 30-40 per cent growth for NAS in the Middle East markets next year.

NETGEAR is poised to leverage the award-winning ReadyNASTM range from Infrant Technologies in addition to various products in the pipeline, proprietary technologies and pending patents in line with the company's long-term corporate goals. NETGEAR has also formed a dedicated team for software, hardware and technology for storage devices with the addition of Infrant Technologies' 34 employees, which include 21 engineering professionals, whilst President and CEO Paul Tien has been appointed Vice President and General Manager for the storage products business of NETGEAR.

"Infrant Technologies forwards our strategic plans in terms of expanding our product portfolio, global presence and management and technical talent. Infrant's ReadyNASTM range, which works on NAS technology, complements our previous Storage Central offering, which is based on Zetera Corporation's micro SAN (Storage Area Network) technology, and provides us the opportunity to capture a wider market for storage solutions. The award-winning ReadyNASTM range further enables us to offer attractive bundles, as our digital home entertainment products such as the Intel ViiV certified EVAV700 Digital Entertainer HD streams digital content from NAS storage devices, PC and internet directly to the TV," said Ahmad Zeidan, Channel Sales Manager, NETGEAR Middle East.

Based in California, Infrant Technologies has provided office and home consumers with industry-level storage solutions at affordable prices through the ReadyNASTM range, which utilizes Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID) for unrivalled data protection and automatic scalability. The cutting-edge storage solutions combine the company's proprietary network storage processor, Linux-based RAIDiatorTM operating system and Expandable Protection (X-RAIDTM) technology. The ReadyNASTM family, which includes the ReadyNAS NV+, a four-bay desktop device and the ReadyNAS 1100, a four-bay rack-mountable chassis system, has bagged awards from prestigious technology publications in the US such as 'Editor's Choice' from PC Magazine and 'Product of the Year' from Small Business Technology Magazine'.

"Infrant Technologies was a natural choice for our acquisition strategies, as we share stringent quality standards for products and processes, and highly value technological innovation and customer service excellence. We firmly believe that by leveraging our brand name, supply chain and distribution networks, we will be able to tremendously benefit from the regional market, which has always been receptive to technological innovations and based on research is quite ready for our new NAS offerings," concluded Zeidan.

NETGEAR caters to SMBs, SOHOs and home users with technologically-advanced networking solutions. Its award-winning products enable users to share internet access, peripherals, files, digital multi-media content and applications among multiple personal computers and internet-enabled devices.

About NETGEAR:

NETGEAR® (NASDAQ: NTGR) designs technologically advanced, branded networking products that address the specific needs of small and medium business and home users. The Company's product offerings enable users to share Internet access, peripherals, files, digital multimedia content and applications among multiple personal computers and other Internet-enabled devices. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.netgear.com.

For more information, please contact:
CommuniGate Middle East
PO Box 66861, Dubai, UAE
Tel: +971 4 3988134
Fax: +971 4 3988137
Email: info@communigateme.com
Website: www.communigateme.com

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