Enterprise storage leader signs up two new partners to serve customers in the Kingdom

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 13 July 2008 - Hitachi Data Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd (NYSE : HIT) and the only provider of Services Oriented Storage Solutions, today announced that is has signed two new partnerships in Saudi Arabia with Al Moammar Information Systems (MIS) and Business Management Company (BMC), as part of the vendor's strategy to strengthen its presence in the Kingdom. Both MIS and BMC will work with customers across the various tiers of Hitachi Data Systems solutions, from low-end and modular storage to high-end enterprise.

"The Saudi market remains a huge, for the most part untapped, opportunity, as the market sees growth and development in every business sector - not only oil and gas, but also education, healthcare and construction. It's a market that demands focus, investment and insight - which is why Hitachi Data Systems has chosen to partner with two very powerful players in the industry, who have not only a long-standing presence in the Saudi market, but also the resources and capabilities to work with customers to establish world-class storage infrastructures," said Tony Ward, general manager & sales director MENAT at Hitachi Data Systems (Middle East, North Africa, Turkey and Pakistan).

Escalating storage growth from new applications coupled with regulatory demands continue to pressure organisations' IT budgets and expose inefficiencies in traditional storage architectures. Hitachi's portfolio of storage innovation forges closer alignment between service-level requirements and business-critical applications. The Hitachi Universal Storage Platform V is a state-of-the-art platform which provides industry leading performance, scalability and availability that meet the business-critical application needs of customers.

Sami Al Mulla, general manager, BMC, said:  "We serve chief organisations in the Saudi government, financial, oil and gas and telecommunication sectors, working with the top technology vendors. There is a clear potential for success in this partnership with Hitachi, as it combines the strength of Hitachi's technology with our market know-how and customer base."

Sheikh Ibrahim Al Moammar, vice president, MIS, said: "Saudi businesses are experiencing tremendous growth, and need reliable data storage and management infrastructure to serve increasing demands for scalability and security. This is a market where oil revenues are predicted to hit $16.6 trillion by 2030.  This scale of economic growth will be the foundation of a business environment that is of global standards and technology requirement for the best in the market. We're excited about partnering up with HDS for the Saudi market, and to kick off a solid roadmap for strengthening the presence of Hitachi solutions."

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About Al Moammar Information Systems
Al-Moammar Information Systems is a private sector company owned by the Al-Moammar family. MIS was launched in 1979 and has demonstrated a solid commitment to the development of the IT market in Saudi Arabia. MIS's strategy of parallel diversification and specialization in a growing range of IT fields along with its reputation for excellence in the service delivery arena has proven to be uniquely rewarding. The company enjoys a strong position of trust and leadership within its community and its values are honored on a daily basis across all functions at MIS. MIS aims to build lasting and highly beneficial relationships by aligning a host of leading global IT partners, products and services. The company has developed a high level of market confidence through its commitments and extensive financial investments. Headquartered in Riyadh, MIS is the kingdom's preeminent total IT solutions provider. MIS extends the latest breakthroughs in Management information systems to a diversified range of industry sectors, government and a host of major enterprises. MIS has become widely accessible through branches in Jeddah, Al-Khobar, Jubail & operation offices in Yanbu & Aseer. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.mis.com.sa.

About Business Management Company
BMC is a Saudi Company, Subsidiary of MDS for Computer Systems group of companies operational in the Middle East, Africa, Europe, East Europe, Central Asia and Canada. The company main objective is to focus on the Telecom, IT Security & Software Market in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Region. BMC cover large market share in the region.

The enormous growth of BMC & MDS Group is mainly attributable to management's' commitment in providing consistently professional services and support regardless of the size of the project. The company's attention to detail has been the fundamental philosophy of BMC and the main contributing factor in achieving the size and reputation which BMC now enjoys. It is the key element that has allowed the group to span its operation from Canada to Kazakhstan, with specific emphasis on the Middle East market.

With its headquarters located in Riyadh, Capital of Saudi Arabia, BMC & MDS has been able to achieve annual revenues of around 300 Million U.S. Dollars and now employs a total of 1,000 employees dedicated to serve its clients.  For more information, visit the company's website at http://www.bmc.com.sa.

About Hitachi Data Systems
Hitachi Data Systems Corporation provides Services Oriented Storage Solutions that enable heterogeneous storage to be dynamically provisioned according to business needs and centrally managed via industry-leading Hitachi storage virtualization software. As an integral part of the Hitachi Storage Solutions Group, Hitachi Data Systems delivers storage infrastructure platforms, storage management software, and storage consulting services through direct and indirect channels in over 170 countries and regions. Its customers include nearly 60-percent of Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit the company's Web site at http://www.hds.com.  

About Hitachi, Ltd.
Hitachi, Ltd., (NYSE: HIT / TSE: 6501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is a leading global electronics company with approximately 384,000 employees worldwide. Fiscal 2006 (ended March 31, 2007) consolidated revenues totaled 10,247 billion yen ($86.8 billion). The company offers a wide range of systems, products and services in market sectors including information systems, electronic devices, power and industrial systems, consumer products, materials and financial services. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company's website at http://www.hitachi.com.

© 2008, Hitachi is a registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. and/or its affiliates in the United States and other countries.  Hitachi Data Systems is a registered trademark and service mark of Hitachi, Ltd. in the United States and other countries.  All other trademarks, services marks, company names are properties of their respective owners.

© Press Release 2008