EMC announced a new partnership as an Official Sponsor of Major League Baseball (MLB) Japan, and an expanded partnership with the 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, to support the Ricoh Japan Opening Series 2008. The event marks the official opening of the 2008 MLB regular season. The announcement was made by EMC Japan President Toshio Morohoshi and Red Sox President/CEO Larry Lucchino at a news conference this morning in Tokyo.

When the Boston Red Sox begin their defense of the 2007 World Series title at the Tokyo Dome against the Oakland A's on March 25 and 26, they will commemorate the event with specially designed sleeve patches featuring the EMC and "JAPAN 2008" logos, marking the first-ever corporate logo on the Boston Red Sox uniform. The colorful patch will be affixed onto the uniforms of all Red Sox players, coaches and Field Manager Terry Francona. The EMC patch will also be on all Boston Red Sox Opening Series replica jerseys sold in Japan by MLB. In addition to the patch sponsorship, EMC will host hundreds of customers, partners and employees at the games in March.

"We are happy to welcome EMC to the Major League Baseball family and are pleased that we are able to launch the partnership on such a grand stage in Tokyo," said Paul Archey, Senior Vice President, MLB International. "We look forward to helping EMC expand its brand not only for the Opening Series in Tokyo but throughout the year with MLB Japan."

Gene Orza, Chief Operating Officer of the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), said, "We're delighted to welcome EMC as a partner for the Ricoh Japan Opening Series 2008. As the industry leader in information infrastructure solutions, it is appropriate that EMC partner with MLB Japan and the MLBPA on this important event."

Larry Lucchino, President/CEO of the Red Sox, said, "The Ricoh Japan Opening Series 2008 represents an historic opportunity to expand the appeal of Major League Baseball and the breadth of Red Sox Nation in a country that has a longstanding passion for the game of baseball. The people of EMC, from their headquarters in Massachusetts to their offices throughout Japan, have been our technology and marketing partners through an exciting period of Red Sox success. EMC is the Official Information Infrastructure Provider of the Boston Red Sox, and we are proud to have EMC on our uniforms during the games in Tokyo."

Toshio Morohoshi, President of EMC Japan, said, "EMC is a valued provider of information infrastructure solutions to many organizations across Japan, helping each of them gain advantages because their information is available, secure and ready to use. EMC is a global company operating in more than 80 countries, and Japan is one of our most important and technically advanced markets. The people of EMC Japan are very proud to participate in this partnership with Major League Baseball Japan and the Boston Red Sox. This is an unprecedented opportunity for EMC to build its brand in Japan."

Whether playing home games before sold-out crowds at historic Fenway Park or traveling around the American League, the Red Sox rely on their EMC information infrastructure. From the players to the coaching staff and management team that have captured two World Series championships in the past four years, the Red Sox have become as information-centric in their approach to competing and winning as any large global corporation.

EMC Corporation, a Massachusetts-based neighbor of the Red Sox, is the world leader in information infrastructure solutions. In its role as the Official Information Infrastructure Provider of the Boston Red Sox, EMC provides the systems, software and services that enable a variety of traditional business applications, such as e-mail and transaction systems, as well as some highly specialized ones, such as digitized video for use by players and coaches. Before, during and after every home and away game, Red Sox players, coaches and Field Manager Terry Francona have virtually instant access to several years' worth of video of every play from every game, stored on high-performance EMC CLARiiON systems, to help them prepare for specific opponents, review and evaluate their own performances, or fine-tune their mechanics.

Lucchino said, "Providing our players and coaches with the information and the tools they need to be successful is essential. Because of EMC, the players and coaches have information at their fingertips that can help us win games. The ease of accessing information and video quickly assisted in the successful transition of both Daisuke Matsuzaka and Hideki Okajima in 2007. Our vast digitized video library was a key ingredient in preparing Matsuzaka-san and Okajima-san for Major League batters before they put on a Red Sox uniform."

In total, the Red Sox have deployed nearly 100 terabytes of capacity on EMC networked storage systems to support the growth and success of the organization. The Sox' information infrastructure relies on EMC Celerra NS40 and NS20, and EMC CLARiiON CX 3-80 networked storage systems, an EMC Centera CAS (content addressed storage) system, an EMC Disk Library virtual tape library system, and a range of EMC software.

One EMC CLARiiON CX storage system supports Red Sox core business operations, including online editing of video and other content for the broadcast and print news media, the organization's Microsoft Exchange environment, as well as the digital video system used for home games at Fenway Park. To manage the performance of these systems over the course of a six-month, 162-game regular season and postseason playoffs, the Red Sox leverage EMC Navisphere storage management software, which collects performance information and analyzes system capacity to configure, manage and monitor all aspects of the CLARiiON system. EMC Replication Manager software is used to manage and automate multiple copies of the data for protection and quick recovery.

An EMC Celerra NS20 system now travels with the team to support the digital video system for all games away from Fenway Park. With capacity of more than 10 terabytes in a system that weighs 23 kilograms (50 pounds) less than its predecessor, it is easy to set up and use and is capable of withstanding the rigors of a mobile environment. For archiving their information, including historically important photographic and statistical records, the Red Sox rely on a 16-node Centera system. An EMC Disk Library virtual tape library system enables leading-edge backup and recovery capabilities using a combination of EMC NetWorker, EMC EmailXtender, and EMC DiskXtender software to protect their entire infrastructure. Additionally, to optimize its environment, the Red Sox use EMC PowerPath software to prioritize information access based on business requirements and enhance application and information availability.