Hitachi GST Targets India’s Emerging Video Surveillance Market with Four-City Roadshow
Tues 08 Jan, 2008

Addressing over 100 System Integrators across key geographies

New Delhi/Mumbai, India, January 4, 2008– Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (Hitachi GST), a worldwide leader in the hard disk drive industry, today announced that it is partnering with Cradle Technologies, experts in video surveillance solutions, to organize a series of road shows across the country. Kick-starting in Mumbai on January 7 and followed by events in Ahmedabad, Chennai and New Delhi, the road shows will address system integrators and potential partners in the video surveillance market.

As a part of the series, Hitachi GST will be conducting a series of educational sessions and seminars to provide audiences with insights into the latest trends in the video surveillance market, including emerging technologies as well as the Company’s product offerings for this segment. Experts from Hitachi GST and Cradle Technologies will also provide intensive training on Digital Video Recording (DVR) technology, the selection criteria and key features of hard disks required for the surveillance industry.

According to Karthik Laxman, Country Manager - India and SAARC, Hitachi GST, “This program is likely to benefit about 100 to 150 system integrators across the identified cities. We will be training them on all aspects of the market dynamics, upcoming technologies as well as demonstrating the category-leading CinemaStar range of products that optimize storing, retrieving, streaming, and editing of digital video.”

Globally, the video surveillance market has matured from the basic closed-circuit television (CCTV), non-technical surveillance and security systems to DVR systems. Hard drive storage is a critical component in DVR systems, providing a proven, fast and highly efficient solution to monitor, protect and store video data. According to J P Freeman, the video surveillance market stood at around $4.5 billion, and is expected to show a CAGR of approximately 18% per annum. The video surveillance market in India is also showing immense growth driven by increased demand across residential, commercial and enterprise categories.

Hitachi GST recently announced an expansion of its marketing and technical support in India as part of the company’s plans to broaden its base in the country’s high growth hard disk drive business. As part of the expansion, Laxman was also appointed as the Country Manager – India and SAARC, with primary responsibility for growth as well as enhancing the company’s channel and OEM alliances in India.

The hard disk drive business in India has grown rapidly, with a CAGR of 19% in the last four years.¹ Projections are for the market to grow at the same level in the future, especially with a burgeoning desktop and notebook market in India. Apart from the desktop and notebook categories, Hitachi GST also sees a huge potential growth in Consumer Electronic (CE) applications such as Digital Set Top Box, Digital Video Recorders, Personal Video Recorders, as these are also giving rise to demand for high-capacity hard drives across form factors.

¹ Hitachi GST data

About Hitachi Global Storage Technologies

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies develops advanced hard disk drives to store and preserve the world’s valued data. Founded by the pioneers of hard drives, Hitachi GST enables users to fully engage in the digital lifestyle by providing high-value, high-capacity storage in formats suitable for the office, in the home or on the road. With vertically-integrated research, design and manufacturing capabilities, Hitachi GST delivers leadership technology and quality to its global customer base.

With approximately 33,000 employees worldwide, Hitachi GST offers a comprehensive range of hard drive products for desktop computers, high-performance storage systems and servers, notebooks and consumer devices. For more information, please visit the company’s website at http://www.hitachigst.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.