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                                                                    EXHIBIT 99.1

[CROSSROADS LETTERHEAD]



                                            For More Information Please Contact:
                                                                    Reagan Sakai
                                                        Crossroads Systems, Inc.
                                                                    512-928-7003
                                                             info@crossroads.com


CROSSROADS SYSTEMS, INC. ANNOUNCES STOCK PURCHASE PROGRAM

AUSTIN, TX--September 17, 2001--Crossroads Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CRDS), a
global provider of connectivity for storage networking solutions, today
announced that the company's board of directors has authorized a program to
repurchase up to $5 million worth of its common stock. The program is effective
immediately, and is expected to be completed within six months.
Under the plan, the stock will be purchased in the open market or privately
negotiated transactions from time to time in compliance with the SEC's Rule
10b-18, subject to market conditions, applicable legal requirements and other
factors. The timing and amounts of any purchases will be as determined by the
Company's management from time to time or may be suspended at any time or from
time to time without prior notice, depending on market conditions and other
factors they deem relevant.

ABOUT CROSSROADS SYSTEMS, INC.
With headquarters in Austin, Texas, Crossroads Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRDS) is a
leading global provider of connectivity for storage networks regardless of
technology or location. Crossroads enables protocol-independent connectivity at
gigabit speeds for a wide range of devices that scale for small businesses to
global enterprises. Crossroads' products are in solutions from ADIC, ATL,
Compaq, Dell, Fujitsu-Siemens, Groupe Bull, Hewlett-Packard, Hitachi Data
Systems, IBM, McDATA, StorageTek, Sun Microsystems, Unisys, ACAL, Bell Micro,
Cranel/Adexis, Datalink and Tech Data. Crossroads is a voting member of the
Storage Networking Industry Association (SNIA). For more information about
Crossroads Systems, please visit www.crossroads.com or call (800) 643-7148.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are: the
quarterly fluctuations of Crossroads' operating results and Crossroads'
inability to accurately predict revenues and budget for expenses for future
periods; the extent of Crossroads' future operating losses and negative cash
flow; the company's ability to maintain its operating margins; the deteriorating
economic environment, including, in particular, expense reductions by
organizations affecting their IT spending and budget; the dependence of
Crossroads' business on the storage area network market which is evolving and
unpredictable; the possibility that the pending shareholder class action
lawsuits could result in an adverse outcome to the company; Crossroads' ability
to develop new and enhanced products that achieve market acceptance; the effect
of competition; the effect of undetected software or hardware errors, which may
affect the company's results or reduce demand for Crossroads' products in the
long term; Crossroads' inability to protect its intellectual property rights,
including any adverse outcome in the company's pending patent litigation with
certain of its competitors; the continuation of Crossroads' successful
relationships with its limited number of OEM customers, including its ability to
replace revenue from ADIC and Compaq Computer Corporation and/or to realize the
benefit of the new agreement with Compaq; Crossroads' ability to retain and
recruit key personnel to manage its business successfully; Crossroads' ability
to successfully achieve the benefits of the acquisition of Polaris
Communications and any subsequent acquisition or strategic relationship; and
that Crossroads' stock price could be volatile regardless of Crossroads' actual
financial performance and other factors detailed in Crossroads' filings with the
Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K and
Quarterly Reports on 10-Q.



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