NEW ORLEANS, Oct. 2 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Imation Corp (NYSE: IMN), a worldwide leader in removable data storage, today announced that its new Ulysses(TM) technology has passed stringent environmental tests by Sercel, a major seismic acquisition company. The Ulysses system will be demonstrated at the 2006 Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) Conference in New Orleans, October 1-4 by MP Tapes, Inc. in booth number 2562.

Ulysses, the first disk-enhanced tape cartridge has several characteristics that make it a valuable tool for demanding businesses such as the geophysical industry. The Ulysses solution was developed to radically accelerate tape automation by integrating a hard disk drive (HDD) into a standard tape cartridge form factor for deployment in any tape library environment. Ulysses technology is a highly scalable, rugged and cost effective data storage solution that can be used in a variety of settings.

"As a worldwide leader in seismic acquisition systems for over forty years, Sercel continually evaluates leading technologies to meet the fast- growing demands for data acquisition. Upholding the standard of excellence is our priority," said Daniel Boucard, Land Product Development Manager, Sercel. "Before any product is accepted by Sercel, it has to meet our stringent quality and reliability standards. Ulysses was fully tested by Sercel and we are pleased to announce that Ulysses technology provides the functionality needed and complies with the rigid requirements for seismic applications."

"Imation has long been committed to providing reliable data storage solutions to the geophysical market," said Stephen Dwyer, global product strategy manager, Imation. "Our new Ulysses technology is the first solution to combine the benefits of tape -- low cost and portability -- with the backup and recovery speeds of disk in a durable and rugged cartridge that meets the rigorous requirements of data storage with this market."

The new technology addresses the needs of tape users looking for a disk- to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) solution to improve restore time without having to adopt a complex new system or invest in hardware or software modifications. A Ulysses-equipped library can restore files up to 10 times faster than a tape- only library.

Because the Ulysses tape drive emulator emulates an LTO drive and the Ulysses media has the same form factor as LTO Ultrium cartridges, users can simply "drop in" the Ulysses cartridge into the existing automated tape environment with no changes to floor space, wiring, cooling or other infrastructure challenges.

"Since Ulysses is disk based, it provides faster backup and restore than a tape-only system," said Peter Groel, President of MP Tapes, Longmont, Colorado. "This inherent technology advantage makes Ulysses the ideal choice for applications that cannot tolerate any disruptions. In addition, Sercel has conducted rigorous tests which prove conclusively that Ulysses performs flawlessly in environmentally challenging situations. This makes Ulysses the ideal storage device for data acquisition in the seismic industry."