SAN DIEGO, July 18, 2000 - BakBone Software, Inc. (TSE: BKB) today announced that the forthcoming release of its NetVault™ storage management software will contain DirecSAN™, an innovative breakthrough for storage area networks (SANs). DirecSAN enables data to bypass backup servers on the SAN, thus dramatically simplifying the process, reducing potential bottlenecks associated with SAN-based backup, and maximizing both performance and return on investment.

BakBone officials said DirecSAN will be available as an integral part of NetVault, scheduled for release throughout North America within several weeks. DirecSAN is already included in versions of NetVault being sold throughout Europe and Asia, where it has established itself as a leading software solution for companies faced with exploding data storage needs.

A result of NetVault's advanced, modular architecture, DirecSAN empowers NetVault users to reduce the steps needed to save corporate-critical data. NetVault's design makes it possible for data to stream directly from a backup client on the SAN to a tape device, bypassing the backup server in the process. Termed Client Transfer Node (CTN), this technically elegant feature is a key advantage for MIS managers, faced with the dilemma of trying to maintain control over their rapidly growing data storage environments. This "client transfer" method of SAN data communication means that data can be backed up and retrieved more quickly and efficiently over a Fibre Channel or SCSI network, rather than the local area network (LAN). It also offers the additional benefit of freeing up crucial LAN bandwidth and dramatically improving network response time.

"DirecSAN offers companies a distinct improvement in the way they perform their backups," said BakBone CEO Tony Cerqueira. "Ease of use is a critical factor; so is speed. Net Vault embodies both. DirecSAN is an embedded feature of NetVault, not an add-on component. Installation becomes a point-and-click experience, and can be completed within minutes. Users realize cost savings, tremendous speed on data transfers, and a high degree of ease of use, all of which are tremendously valued in this era of explosive data growth and limited personnel resources," Cerqueira stated.

Leading industry analysts have increasingly cited the benefits of "LAN-free backup" as a key component of advanced storage systems. "The exponential growth of storage," said Aberdeen Group research director David Hill, "continues to raise an ever-greater management challenge to IS organizations since budgets and head counts are relatively flat. IS therefore needs to reduce the complexity of managing storage.

"The management of the backup and restore process over SANs is one such major storage management complexity for many enterprises. BakBone Software has designed NetVault to ease the labor productivity burden for the backup/restore process. Complexity-cutting backup/restore software, such as NetVault, will be welcomed in the IS community," Hill continued.

GartnerGroup analyst Mark Nicolett, speaking recently at a conference in Orlando, cited the client transfer model as the "next phase" in the improvement of enterprise data backup. He said removing backup servers from the data path through a direct data transfer from the client to the tape device would represent an improvement in the exploitation of SANs for backup and recovery.

More information about NetVault and DirecSAN can be found on BakBone software's website, www.bakbone.com.

About BakBone Software, Inc.

BakBone Software™ (TSE: BKB, OTC: BKBOF) is an international storage management software company that develops and globally distributes industry-leading storage management solutions to the open systems markets, providing data protection and management solutions scalable from office to enterprise that will grow with a company's needs.

BakBone's NetVaultTM product is designed to provide unparalleled robustness, and unmatched data protection and recovery to meet the challenges of today's computing infrastructures. NetVault's comprehensive but easy to use features include versatile modular design, advanced SAN support and specialized on-line application backup. The very core of the product is designed with high bandwidth data transfers in mind and designed to ensure that performance is not compromised.

BakBone's corporate headquarters are located at 10145 Pacific Heights Boulevard, San Diego, Ca. 92121. Its stock is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and is included on the TSE 300 Composite, S&P/TSE Canadian SmallCap and TSE 200 indices. For more information on BakBone products, call 858-450-9009, e-mail sales@bakbone.com, or access BakBone's web site at www.bakbone.com.

Safe Harbor

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical in nature are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees since there are inherent difficulties in predicting future results, and actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.