Lenovo rebranding storage products, demotes Iomega to entry-level gear

Remember when Cingular became AT&T, Federal Express became FedEx and RIM became BlackBerry? The next company that'll need to reprint its business cards is Iomega, which is seeing the bulk of its products rebranded as Lenovo EMC. The Iomega name will still exist, but only as the face for entry-level storage gear, while the StorCenter and EZ Media and Backup Center lines will now carry the livery of their corporate parent. Curious about the company's history before it became a marque? There's detailed PR after the break.

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LenovoEMC Rebrands Iomega Products and Programs Worldwide

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – June 11, 2013

News Highlights:

· Industry-leading Iomega network-attached storage (NAS) solutions now branded Lenovo® Iomega® and Lenovo® EMC® worldwide

· Iomega social media properties rebranded as LenovoEMC

· Lenovo® network storage products incorporate Acronis® PC backup software for dependable data backup for users

LenovoEMC Ltd, a joint venture between industry-leaders Lenovo and EMC that includes the Iomega network storage product business, today announced the rebranding of Iomega products and programs worldwide, emphasizing the identity of this transformative joint venture and laying the foundation for new product and partnership announcements, beginning with a new Acronis agreement to provide PC backup software for select Lenovo® network storage products.

Brand Transformation of Iomega Network Storage Products

Effective immediately, the former Iomega-branded network storage products are available worldwide with new branding that reflects the LenovoEMC business while continuing to utilize the Iomega mark on entry-level consumer network storage products.

Lenovo high performance professional network storage products (formerly known as the Iomega® StorCenter™ px series) include three desktop models and three rackmount array models, which scale up to 48TB of capacity:

· The desktop double-drive Lenovo® EMC® px2-300d Network Storage

· The desktop quad-drive Lenovo® EMC® px4-300d Network Storage

· The desktop six-drive Lenovo® EMC® px6-300d Network Storage

· The Lenovo® EMC® px4-300r Network Storage Array

· The Lenovo® EMC® px12-400r Network Storage Array

· And the top-of-the-line Lenovo® EMC® px12-450r Network Storage Array.

Lenovo consumer network storage solutions include the desktop single-drive Lenovo® Iomega® EZ Media and Backup Center (former the Iomega® EZ Media and Backup Center), and two models in the Lenovo® Iomega® ix series of network storage products (formerly the Iomega® StorCenter™ ix series): the desktop double-drive Lenovo® Iomega® ix2-300d Network Storage, and the desktop quad-drive Lenovo® Iomega® ix4-300d Network Storage.

Data Backup for the PC Plus World

LenovoEMC today also announced an agreement with Acronis to provide True Image 2013 Lite PC backup software with all Lenovo EMC network storage products. Acronis® True Image 2013 provides automatic and continuous file backup protection and restore for Windows PCs.

Effective immediately, the Lenovo EMC px Series products now include three licenses for ATI Lite per product. Acronis will also make available special pricing for additional licenses and upgrades for Lenovo network storage customers.

Executive Quotes

"The LenovoEMC joint venture is based upon the success of the Iomega network storage solutions business and our plan at Lenovo to develop a unified storage platform within Lenovo's Enterprise Product Group," said Roy Guillen, vice president, Enterprise Product Group, Lenovo, the majority owner of the joint venture. "With the transition from the highly successful stand alone Iomega brand to the power of the combined Lenovo and EMC brands, our Lenovo network storage solutions from the LenovoEMC joint venture will continue to evolve in features and capabilities as world class network storage that complements server products from the Lenovo Enterprise Product Group. This is an important element in Lenovo's continued growth in the PC Plus world."

Joel Schwartz, senior vice president and general manager, Global New Business Development, EMC, said, "The LenovoEMC joint venture marks a rebirth for the Iomega network storage solutions business with the support of two industry leaders, Lenovo and EMC. The sub-$25,000 segment of the storage industry is one of the fastest growing parts of the market, and we believe the LenovoEMC product portfolio will continue to be at the forefront of the industry."

A Salute to the Iomega Brand

As an iconic technology brand, Iomega had many important accomplishments since its inception in 1980, which are now foundational assets of LenovoEMC. Among the highlights:

· Iomega sold more than 430 million digital storage drives and disks

· Iomega received more than 150 patents

· Iomega products were available in more than 125 countries around the world

· The original Iomega® Zip™ Drive marked a quantum leap in portable storage when it debuted in 1995

· Iomega launched its first network storage product in 2003

· Iomega was acquired by EMC in 2008

· In 2012, Iomega sold its one millionth network storage product

· The LenovoEMC Ltd. joint venture became official in December 2012

· As of May 2013, more than 110,000 Personal Clouds had been created using Iomega network storage solutions.

Availability

Lenovo® network storage products will be progressively available in the distribution channel. To learn more about the Lenovo family of network products, please go to www.lenovoemc.com. To learn more about Acronis, please go to www.acronis.com.