SCARBOROUGH, ME -- IBM today announced that supermarket retailer Hannaford Bros Co. has chosen the TotalStorage Enterprise Storage Server (code named "Shark") to streamline and optimize its warehouse-to-storefront supply chain operation. Hannaford, which owns and operates 112 supermarkets throughout Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts and New York, selected the Enterprise Storage Server to support two of its business critical applications-a warehouse management system and an order entry and store inventory system--which are run on an IBM mainframe. The 3.3 terabyte Shark displaced two EMC boxes in Hannaford's data center, and is now serving as the primary repository for the company's on-line data. "Our reputation and success as a supermarket retailer can be attributed to our supply chain operations that ensure goods are distributed from the warehouse to the supermarkets in a timely fashion," said Bill Homa, senior vice president and chief information officer at Hannaford. "Shark is driving our entire supply chain and we are very pleased with its performance, functionality and high availability. What impressed us most was the Shark's ability to prioritize workload and its performance." With IBM providing an enhanced data storage infrastructure, Hannaford has realized significant improvements in the performance and functionality of its supply chain operations, Homa added. More than 400 Hannaford employees rely upon direct and efficient access to data and information available on the Enterprise Storage Server. The company plans to have the Enterprise Storage Server networked in a storage area network (SAN) environment to extend the sharing, protection and availability of critical data. The Enterprise Storage Server is the high-performance disk storage solution from IBM, a company recognized for its world leadership in storage systems, software, services and patented technology. Built on the foundation of IBM's Seascape architecture, the Enterprise Storage Server works with a variety of hardware and software technologies, such as Windows NT, UNIX, Novell NetWare, the entire IBM eServer family--and with a variety of interfaces, including Fibre Channel, Ultra SCSI and ESCON. For more information on IBM's Enterprise Storage Server and its performance advantages, visit www.ibm.com/storage