McDATA Introduces New Global Partner Program to Expand Channel Partner

    Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

    BROOMFIELD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 6, 2005--McDATA Corporation (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT), a leading provider of storage networking solutions, today announced a new, comprehensive partner program that rewards channel partners for selling McDATA's portfolio of hardware, software and services for the Global Enterprise Data Center (GEDC). Starting this month, the McDATA PartnerPlus Program will integrate all existing McDATA partner programs worldwide, and features new incentives designed specifically to help McDATA Value-Added Resellers and Distributors maximize their earnings potential.
    "McDATA deserves credit for creating a partner program that provides all partners the opportunity to help grow their overall revenue, deliver profitable storage solutions to customers and create closer ties to McDATA, regardless of sourcing model. A key benefit for partners in this program is that it works in concert with the company's existing system provider partners and does not force the partners to choose one over the other or change their business model," said Janet Waxman, vice president of hardware channels and alliances, IDC.
    The McDATA PartnerPlus Program is the cornerstone of the company's efforts to expand its channel business and has been awarded the prestigious five-star rating from CMP's VARBusiness magazine. The program now supports the entire range of partners -- including McDATA Value Added Resellers, integration partners and Value Added Distributors, as well as McDATA OPENready developer partners and OEMs. For VARs, the program introduces a tiered benefits structure and new co-op incentives that increase rewards for McDATA sales and make compensation plans easier to manage than ever.
    "With the McDATA PartnerPlus Program, partners and resellers have an optimized compensation program with straightforward rewards for selling the best storage networking hardware, software and services in the industry," said Bruce Chumley, vice president of channel sales at McDATA. "The PartnerPlus Program is an affirmation of McDATA's commitment to the channel, reseller, consultant, integrator and service supplier community."
    McDATA training and technical certification is an integral feature of its PartnerPlus Program, enabling resellers, partners and distributors to leverage McDATA's unparalleled expertise in storage networking. McDATA certification is a requirement for participation in certain levels of the McDATA PartnerPlus Program. McDATA's training programs also provide partners with an understanding of how McDATA products can be used in customers' existing infrastructure to enable tiered storage networking and information lifecycle management strategies, a cost-effective way to manage data in the enterprise.
    Further information on the McDATA PartnerPlus Program is available at: http://www.mcdata.com/partners/.

    About McDATA (www.mcdata.com)

    McDATA (Nasdaq:MCDTA) (Nasdaq:MCDT) is the only data infrastructure solutions provider that can deliver a Global Enterprise Data Center -- a globally connected, centrally managed and highly optimized data network. With more than 20 years of storage networking experience, McDATA is trusted in the world's largest data centers, connecting more than two-thirds of all networked data and enabling information access anytime, anywhere.

    Forward-Looking Statements

    This press release contains statements about expected future events that are forward-looking and subject to risks and uncertainties. Readers are urged to consider statements that include the terms "believes," "belief," "expects," "plans," "objectives," "estimates," "anticipates," "intends," "targets," or the like to be uncertain and forward-looking. Factors that could cause actual results to differ and vary materially from expectations include, but are not limited to, McDATA's relationships with EMC, IBM and HDS and the level of their orders, aggressive price competition by numerous other SAN and IP switch suppliers, OEM qualification of our new products, manufacturing constraints and other risk factors that are disclosed in McDATA's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These cautionary statements by McDATA should not be construed as exhaustive or as any admission regarding the adequacy of disclosures made by McDATA. All cautionary statements should be read as being applicable to all forward-looking statements wherever they appear. McDATA does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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CONTACT: McDATA Corporation Media: Jil Backstrom, 720-558-4774 press.release@mcdata.com or Investors: Renee Lyall, 720-558-4629 renee.lyall@mcdata.com

KEYWORD: COLORADO Technology_IT INDUSTRY KEYWORD: HARDWARE SOFTWARE NETWORKING SOURCE: McDATA Corporation

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