Siemon Announces the Release of its New High-Density Patch Cord -- The BladePatch<sup>®</sup>

For Immediate Release
June 14, 2004

Siemon Announces the Release of its New High-Density Patch Cord -- The BladePatch^®

Innovative latch design and slimmer boot are ideal for use with high-density Blade Servers in data centers, server farms and other high-density environments

WATERTOWN, CT - Siemon, a global leader in network cabling systems and components, again marks an industry first with the release of its new BladePatch^®. The innovative design of BladePatch is like no other patch cord available in the market today. Although the plug is an RJ45 style, it features a unique latching design that eliminates the need to depress an external latch. The plug latch is activated by the boot in a push-pull fashion similar to an SC fiber connector. The plug locks into position when it is pushed into the outlet or patch panel, and unlatches for removal when the boot is pulled back.

"In high-density installations, it's difficult for an installer to get his fingers into the mass of patch cords to depress the RJ45 latch for patch cord removal," said Brian McCaffrey, Siemon's BladePatch product manager. "We take the time to listen to our customers, and this issue came up time and time again. So, we made it our goal to create a patch cord that would solve this problem. BladePatch was the result - and it's getting rave reviews from both installers and end users."

With BladePatch's unique latching design, need for less "finger space" around each patch cord, and slimmer boot design, it is ideal for high-density patching environments. While it is designed to work with any RJ45- style UTP outlet or patch panel, its ideal use is with blade servers. "BladePatch is designed with a slimmer boot than other patch cords, allowing tight side-stackability. When a telecommunications closet or data center uses BladePatch patch cords in tandem with blade servers, they have the ultimate in high-density solutions," explained McCaffrey. "And since the BladePatch already performs to proposed 'augmented category 6' specifications - capable of 10G transmission - it is perfect for those companies needing high performance as well as high density."

To find out more about Siemon's new BladePatch, click here.

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About Siemon: Established in 1903, Siemon is an industry leader specializing in the manufacture and innovation of high quality, high-performance network cabling solutions. Headquartered in Connecticut, USA, with global offices, manufacturing and service partners throughout the world, Siemon offers the most comprehensive suite of copper (unshielded and shielded twisted-pair) category 5e, category 6 (Class E), augmented category 6/category 6A(Class E_A) and category 7/7A (Class F/F_A), and multimode and singlemode fiber cabling systems available. With over 400 active patents specific to structured cabling, from patch cords to patch panels, Siemon Labs invests heavily in R&D and development of industry standards, underlining the company's long-term commitment to its customers and the industry.

Press Contact:: Brian Duval; Marketing Communication Manager; Siemon; 101 Siemon Company Drive; Watertown, CT 06795; Phone : (1) 860 945-4380; Fax : (1) 860 945-8503