Customers to benefit from Microsoft family of storage products and Hammer’s value-add approach to storage

Basingstoke, 30th April 2009: Dedicated storage distributor, Hammer, has announced that it is now an Authorized Embedded Distributor of Microsoft embedded server products.

There are three products at the heart of this announcement – Windows Storage Server which transforms a standard server into a storage appliance; System Center Data Protection Manager, which transforms a standard server into a backup appliance; and Windows Embedded Server, providing the bond between a server and an application in order for it to execute.

James Ward, Hammer’s managing director, says of the deal: “We are delighted, as a storage-focused specialist, to be working together with a vendor such as Microsoft, and look forward to developing a strong relationship based upon the combined strengths of both companies”.

Jim Fredricksen, Senior Director of OEM Server Sales at Microsoft, said: “We are excited about the addition of Hammer as a distributor of Microsoft embedded server products to resellers and OEM customers. We look forward to working with them to grow the Windows embedded server business in the storage and backup space and to help open new market opportunities.”

Mark Kinsell, sales manager for server products at Hammer, said, “Microsoft is known for its global product distribution and availability. This affiliation strengthens Hammer’s position as a rapidly expanding, dedicated storage distributor and confirms the need for specialists in the storage arena.”

There are two routes to market through which systems manufacturers can benefit from this solution – software only or combined as an appliance. The software can be licensed and installed independently by an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM), or Hammer can create and provide an appliance with Microsoft applications pre-installed on Intel hardware.

Kinsell continues: “Our purpose is to broaden the adoption and awareness of Microsoft storage and embedded products in a variety of vertical markets.”