LONGMONT, Colo., March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Dot Hill Systems Corp. (Nasdaq: HILL), a leading provider of Unified Virtual Storage and SAN storage solutions, today announced it has been recognized by Everything Channel as a 5-Star Winner in this year's CRN Partner Program Guide. CRN's Partner Programs Guide and 5-Star Partner ratings identify vendors who offer solution providers industry leading partnering elements for channel success.

The Dot Hill Connections Partner Program - a multi-tiered, channel engagement focused on the open storage provider market - arms authorized value added resellers (VARs) with a wide range of tools and benefits to help grow their business while successfully marketing Dot Hill storage solutions to end users. Dedicated to bringing smart, simple solutions to market, Dot Hill leverages nearly three decades of storage industry expertise to provide Dot Hill AssuredSAN and AssuredUVS branded products aimed at entry- to mid-level markets - working through the channel's strongest partners to reach end customers.

The Dot Hill AssuredSAN(TM) family of disk-to-disk data protection products, designed specifically for channel partners, combines the company's robust storage capability with enhanced data protection software features to address many of today's disaster recovery, business continuity and regulatory compliance requirements. Dot Hill's AssuredUVS line of Unified Virtual Storage Appliances brings the benefits of storage virtualization to the SMB and SME markets, by combining the requisite software, servers and storage into a versatile appliance that can consolidate organizations' multi-vendor storage assets, improve storage efficiencies, simplify management and create more IT and business flexibility. Dot Hill's entry into the Unified Virtual Storage market positions Dot Hill as a full storage provider and provides channel partners with new professional service revenue and more attractive margins.

"The companies listed on the 2011 Partner Programs Guide represent the best channel programs in the market today. Of those, only a few get our 5-Star Award based on their commitment to the channel, breadth of program offerings and services offered to their partners," said Kelley Damore, vice president and editorial director for Everything Channel's CRN. "Each of these organizations understands that technology alone does not make for a successful channel program. By focusing on delivering a comprehensive partner program, vendors and solution providers can work together to drive business opportunities and revenue."

"The growing number of mergers and acquisitions the past few years has reduced the number of truly independent storage vendors available to channel partners. In this changing climate, Dot Hill has emerged as one of the channel's leading independent storage vendors with a broad line of storage hardware and software solutions," said David Zimmer, vice president of worldwide channel sales and marketing. "The main focus of our Connections program is partner profitability. Our AssuredSAN line continues to gain momentum and has proven to be highly profitable to our loyal channel partners, while the introduction of our AssuredUVS storage virtualization solutions provides new opportunities with higher margin professional services revenue streams. When our channel partners succeed so do we, and they have been a key factor in Dot Hill's growing prosperity."

Dot Hill is actively seeking new partners for its Connections Partner Program. For more information, potential candidates can visit http://partner.dothill.com/.

The 2011 Partner Programs Guide and 5-Star Partners listing will be featured on CRN.com and in the March 28th issue of CRN.

About Everything Channel

Everything Channel is the premier provider of IT channel-focused events, media, research, consulting, and sales and marketing services. With over 30 years of experience and engagement, Everything Channel has the unmatched channel expertise to execute integrated solutions for technology executives managing partner recruitment, enablement and go-to-market strategy in order to accelerate technology sales. Everything Channel is a UBM company. To learn more about Everything Channel, visit us at http://www.everythingchannel.com. Follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/everythingchnl.

About United Business Media Limited

UBM (UBM.L) focuses on two principal activities: worldwide information distribution, targeting and monitoring; and, the development and monetization of B2B communities and markets. UBM's businesses inform markets and serve professional commercial communities - from doctors to game developers, from journalists to jewelry traders, from farmers to pharmacists -- with integrated events, online, print and business information products. Our 6,500 staff in more than 30 countries are organized into specialist teams that serve these communities, bringing buyers and sellers together, helping them to do business and their markets to work effectively and efficiently. For more information, go to www.ubm.com.

About Dot Hill

Leveraging its proprietary Assured family of storage solutions, Dot Hill solves many of today's most challenging storage problems - helping IT to improve performance, increase availability, simplify operations, and reduce costs. Dot Hill's solutions combine breakthrough virtualization software with the industry's most flexible and extensive hardware platform and automated management to deliver best-in-class unified virtual storage and SAN solutions. Headquartered in Longmont, Colo., Dot Hill has offices and/or representatives in China, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

For more information, visit us at www.dothill.com.

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Certain statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical fact are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act. Because such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties, actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by the statements. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding: any improvement in Dot Hill's financial results due to recognition of the Dot Hill Connections Partner Program; the effectiveness of the Partner Program; the benefits or performance of Dot Hill products in any particular environment, and; Dot Hill's ability to sign new partners due to its recognition by CRN. The risks that contribute to the uncertain nature of the forward-looking statements include: potentially limited visibility of CRN's 5-Star Partner Program Guide; changing customer and partner preferences in the open systems computing market; and unforeseen supply, technological, intellectual property or engineering issues. However, there are many other risks not listed here that may affect the future business of Dot Hill, as well as the forward-looking statements contained herein. To learn about such risks and uncertainties, you should read the risk factors set forth in the company's public filings with the SEC, including the Forms 8-K, 10-K and 10-Q most recently filed by Dot Hill. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made. Dot Hill undertakes no obligation to update such statements to reflect any change in circumstances or events.

Contact:
Steve Sturgeon
Lutz PR
858-472-5669
ssturgeon@san.rr.com

Company Contact:
Ruth Macdonald
Marketing Communications Manager
303-845-3364
ruth.macdonald@dothill.com

SOURCE Dot Hill Systems Corp.