Alpharel, the struggling computer data storage company...

Alpharel, the struggling computer data storage company in Camarillo, announced that it has named M. Dean Johnston as interim chief executive officer. Johnston, 45, is the third person to fill the position since Alpharel founder and chief executive officer Michael McGovern left office in December. Johnston replaces Benjamin Brink, a Menlo Park consultant.

For the first quarter that ended March 31, Alpharel lost $3.6 million on revenue of $628,000. The company has suffered from a slowdown in orders from the Department of Defense, its biggest client, and has been largely unsuccessful in obtaining orders from other customers.