Highly Reliable Solid-State Drive Delivers Cost-Efficient Storage for Space-Constrained, Low-Power Embedded System Designs

SANTA ANA, Calif., Jan. 8, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- STEC, Inc. (Nasdaq:STEC), a leading global provider of solid-state drive (SSD) technologies and products, today announced the small-form-factor s230 Series of Slim SATA solid-state drives providing an efficient storage design tailored for embedded systems.

Anchoring STEC's line of industrial-grade embedded solid-state-storage solutions that feature SATA and SATA-II SSDs and capacities of up to 50GB, the s230 is a low-power, small-footprint Slim SATA drive in an industry standard JEDEC MO-297 format occupying less than half the space of a standard 2.5-inch drive. It features advanced PowerSafe™ Technology, making it one of the most reliable and cost-effective devices for space-constrained systems, in which protection against drive corruption (due to unexpected power loss) is essential. The s230 is available in a range of cost-effective capacities - from 8GB to 32GB.

As the industrial SSD market continues to grow - market researcher IDC projects annual shipments of intelligent embedded systems of nearly 4 billion units by 2015 - the need for smaller embedded-computing solutions is increasing. These compact embedded designs require long-endurance and highly reliable storage solutions that are smaller than today's traditional 2.5- and 1.8-inch rotating-disk or solid-state drives. The s230 Series is ideally suited for space-constrained, fan-less system designs where traditional storage solutions are too large. The new compact design of s230 drives fills the growing need for small-format SATA SSD solutions in both the integrator and OEM markets. 

"STEC is meeting the business demands for cost-effective embedded SSD solutions that provide protection against unexpected power loss," said Scott Phillips, senior manager, product marketing at STEC. "The s230 Series offers the best solution for highly integrated systems in which heat dissipation is a key concern, or where the total system power budget is limited. Through this product line, we are happy to extend our long track record of supporting the embedded markets."

The s230 Series is architected as a cost-effective solution for embedded uses, which include:

-- system booting

-- application servers

-- code storage

-- data logging

As with the entire Slim SATA family, the s230 Series leverages STEC's high-performance, industrial-grade SSD controllers and sophisticated flash management. These elements deliver high capacities in no-compromise solid-state-storage solutions that provide embedded system designers with true plug-n-play storage devices, short design cycles and fast time to market. 

The s230's use of single-level cell (SLC) flash media helps ensure extended endurance and reliability, as well as support for industrial (-40°C to 85°C) temperatures.  The inclusion of STEC'sPowerSafe Technology provides instant data integrity in the event of an unplanned power failure.

The STEC s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs are sampling now, with volume unit pricing beginning at $85.

Click here for more information on the STEC s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs.

Follow STEC via Twitter: @STEC_INC.

About STEC, Inc.

STEC, Inc. is a leading global provider of enterprise-class solid-state drive (SSD) technologies and solutions tailored to meet the high-performance, high-reliability and high-endurance needs of today's data-intensive server and storage platforms. With headquarters in Santa Ana, California, and locations worldwide, STEC leverages almost two decades of solid-state knowledge and experience to design, manufacture and deliver the most comprehensive line of PCIe, SAS, SATA, and embedded SSDs on the market today. In addition, STEC's EnhanceIO™SSD Cache Software enables IT managers to cost-effectively scale server application performance. For more information, please visit www.stec-inc.com.

The STEC logo is available at www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=1079.

STEC, the STEC logo, PowerSafe, and EnhanceIO are either registered trademarks or trademarks of STEC, Inc. in the United States and certain other countries. All other trademarks or brand names referred to herein are the property of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties, including those statements concerning the benefits of the incorporation of STEC's s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs into embedded systems; the benefits, capabilities, performance, and cost savings of STEC's s230 Series of Slim SATA SSDs and related technologies, such as STEC'sPowerSafe Technology; the qualification of STEC's e230 Series; the evolving industrial SSD market; and the increasing demand for embedded SSD solutions. Such forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and involve inherent risks and uncertainties, including factors that could delay, divert or change any of them, and cause actual outcomes and results to differ materially from current expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in forward-looking statements are detailed in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, made from time to time by STEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, its subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and its subsequent Current Reports on Form 8-K, which are available on the Investor Relations section of STEC's website at www.stec-inc.com. The information contained in this press release is a statement of STEC's present intentions, beliefs or expectations. STEC may change its intentions, beliefs or expectations, at any time and without notice, based upon any changes in such factors, from STEC's assumptions and otherwise. Except as required by law, STEC undertakes no obligation to publicly release any revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date thereof, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. 


CONTACT: Jerry Steach
         Director, Public Relations
         STEC, Inc.
         (415) 222-9996
         jsteach@stec-inc.com

         Scott Phillips
         Senior Manager, Product Marketing
         STEC, Inc.
         (800) 367-7330 x8358
         sphillips@stec-inc.com
STEC, Inc.
distributed by