APTARE UNVEILS ENHANCED APTARE STORAGECONSOLE 5.1 BACKUP REPORTING AND MANAGEMENT SOFTWARE

Now Supports Tivoli Storage Manager Environments

CAMPBELL, Calif. – May 15, 2006 –APTARE, Inc., provider of web-based data protection management software, today unveiled APTARE StorageConsole®5.1, the next major update of its enterprise backup reporting and management solution. In addition to VERITAS NetBackup™ 6.0, the new version of the software now supports IBM Tivoli® Storage Manager 5.2 and 5.3, enabling management of heterogeneous backup environments.

Already deployed in hundreds of installations worldwide, APTARE StorageConsole is the only web-based reporting and management tool that provides centralized, real-time information on complex backup and recovery environments.

"As the volume of data increases in enterprises so does the complexity of the backup and recovery environment,” said Richard Clark, president and CEO of APTARE. “Companies have been living under a false sense of security about their levels of exposure and data protection. It’s difficult to quantify, so they take it on faith that they are doing a good job protecting their data. APTARE StorageConsole 5.1 removes the guesswork, and gives administrators the real-time facts about their backup and recovery environment so they can reduce their exposure, increase their levels of protection, and optimize their backup/recovery environment. “

Based on the company’s patented architecture, APTARE StorageConsole is a web-based portal that allows designated users access to real-time graphical information about their backup and recovery environment using any browser. Using APTARE StorageConsole’s easy-to-read dashboards administrators can quickly diagnose problems and optimize their backup/recovery infrastructure.

“Managing the backup and restore infrastructure continues to be a major pain point in enterprises today,” said analyst Dave Russell, Research Director, Storage Software at Gartner, Inc. “Trying to isolate failed backups or discover unprotected data places a heavy burden on IT resources. Products that address these issues through up-to-date and easy-to-understand graphical interfaces with the ability to drill down for greater detail should be well received in the marketplace.”

APTARE StorageConsole 5.1
In addition to support for the latest versions of VERTAS NetBackup 3.4-6.0 and IBM Tivoli Storage Manager 5.2 and 5.3, APTARE’s new version of APTARE StorageConsole includes the following features:

Portal Enhancements – APTARE’s patented web-based architecture now supports HTTPS (i.e. SSL), allowing customers to send data securely over the Internet through corporate firewalls using industry standard protocols. APTARE StorageConsole 5.1 can be accessed by anyone anywhere without additional client software. Additional portal enhancements include embedded support for Oracle 10g database, Microsoft Active Directory and Sun One LDAP.

Policy Auditing Module – APTARE StorageConsole 5.1 includes a new add-on module called Policy Auditing. This module provides an extensive historical audit trail and change log of VERITAS NetBackup policies. Policy Auditing will provide audit trails and historical change control logging for the following changes to a NetBackup policy:
-Clients that are added or removed from a policy
-Pathnames / Directives that are added, updated, or removed from a policy
-Changes to NetBackup policy attributes such as retention levels, default volume pools, storage units, multi-streaming / multiplexing etc.

This module does not come bundled with the base product and must be purchased as an add-on.

XML Report Designer– Administrators can design their own reports in XML for distribution via email or posted to an intranet. Reports can be saved as an HTML or PDF file.

Real time alerting– APTARE StorageConsole enables notification of up/down tape drives, frozen tape media, failed backups, and other user-definable events.

New Dashboard Analytics – Additional dashboards have been added to give users even greater detail into their backup/recover infrastructure.

Pricing and availability
APTARE StorageConsole 5.1 is available now, directly through APTARE, its channel resellers, and through worldwide partners, including Hitachi Data Systems (NYSE: HIT). For specific pricing information, please email sales@aptare.com or call (866) 927-8273.

About APTARE
Headquartered in Campbell, California, APTARE® is a provider of web-based enterprise applications that simplify the management and optimization of complex data protection environments. APTARE StorageConsole™, the company's flagship product, is a real-time browser-based portal that gives IT administrators and executives a centralized, real-time view of their data protection environment through easy-to-read graphical dashboards. Using APTARE StorageConsole, users are able to easily increase backup success rates, identify potential failures before they happen, meet compliance regulations, and optimize current and future resources. For more information, visit www.aptare.com.

For press or analyst inquires please contact:

• Tony Wessels
• APTARE, Inc.
• +1-408-871-9899

• Julie Parayno
• Dovetail Public Relations
• +1-408-395-3600

APTARE and APTARE StorageConsole are trademarks, registered trademarks or service marks of APTARE, Inc. All other trade names, trademarks, and service marks are the rightful property of their respective owners.