Sunnyvale, Calif. - February 25, 2004 -- Network Appliance, Inc. (NASDAQ: NTAP), a leading provider of enterprise network storage solutions, today announced that Bronson Healthcare Group has deployed the Network Appliance™ SnapLock Compliance solution to help meet security requirements associated with HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act). This legislation holds healthcare companies accountable for the security of patients' health information. Bronson Healthcare Group chose NetApp SnapLock Compliance on a NetApp NearStore® system not only for the solution's non-erasable and non-rewritable data permanence capabilities, but also for its ability to integrate seamlessly and rapidly into existing storage architectures and enterprise application environments.

In its search for an integrated solution to efficiently and cost-effectively address HIPAA, Bronson sought a long-term storage solution that would provide quick access of digital medical images (PACS), low ongoing maintenance and management from an IT perspective, and proven enterprise reliability and performance. Additionally, the health system wanted to create a scalable storage architecture linking multiple data centers providing on-demand growth, superior data protection and recovery with the benefits of an open industry-standard protocol implementation. Using SnapLock and SnapMirror® software combined with NetApp storage systems, Bronson was able to meet the demands of a growing Radiology PACS system and the customers that they serve and better manage the lifecycle of their data from creation to deletion.

SnapLock Compliance on NearStore is a disk-based solution, enabling the simple, rapid retrieval required to efficiently meet regulatory requirements. Unlike tape backup solutions, SnapLock Compliance on NearStore eliminates manual search and retrieval of records, allowing Bronson's IT staff to maximize their current IT investment and avoid spending countless hours searching for records in physical vaults or archives. Additionally, the solution leverages existing NetApp hardware architectures and software platforms providing customer implementation flexibility.

"We evaluated a number of storage solutions to help us comply with HIPAA regulations," said Scott Dent, PACS system administrator for Bronson Healthcare Group. "NetApp offered a proven data permanence solution to help us meet these requirements while also integrating into our existing IT investment. Additionally, being a long-time NetApp customer, we knew its solutions would be simple to implement and use, allowing us to remain focused on patient care."

NetApp SnapLock first shipped in May 2003. Its data permanence capability, automatic data verification, and strong security features make it ideal for almost all types of regulated data, as well as for protecting the integrity of any business records that must be retained accurately for long periods of time. In order to ensure the security and confidentiality of sensitive medical data, NetApp NearStore and FAS systems support an advanced set of security features that fit into existing enterprise infrastructures, including authentication, access controls, server or network-based access restrictions, transmission encryption, and audit logs. Customers also have the option of storing both compliance and non-compliance data on the same system maximizing utilization of their IT investments.

About Bronson
Bronson Healthcare Group, based in Kalamazoo, Michigan, is a community-owned, not-for-profit health care system. Bronson Healthcare Group was recently named to FORTUNE magazine's 2004 list of the "100 Best Companies to Work For," the nation's most prestigious workplace honor.

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 continue to drive the evolution of storage. Information about Network Appliance solutions and services is available at www.netapp.com.