AEP Networks releases Net EB – Government-Strength Secure IP VPNs

London, U.K.– Apr. 18, 2005 – AEP Networks, the specialist in network and application access security, will announce at Infosecurity a new product line that will give commercial customers and a broad range of public sector users access to a highly secure IP VPN platform that until now has been exclusive to U.K. and related governmental users. AEP will exhibit at stand #7120 at InfoSecurity.

“What's exciting here is that a specialty VPN product that's been extensively deployed in government agencies because of its high security and ease of use will now be available to commercial customers as well as a much broader range of government and public-sector users,” said Rob Lane , executive vice president of AEP Networks' Secure Networking Business. “This marks a tremendous opportunity for our partners to offer their public sector, financial and other high-end commercial customers a product line with the highest security credentials.”

Leveraging AEP's success in the U.K. public-sector VPN market, the company's new Net EB series of highly secure IPSec-based VPN encryptors employs commercial encryption algorithms to ensure a similarly rigorous level of network security to that of its Net ED line of encryptors. Net ED products are certified by the British government's CESG Assisted Products Scheme (CAPS) to “Enhanced Grade” standard.

AEP announced a new channel initiative, called the Net Premier Integrator Program, to market the two-model Net EB line to a select network of systems integrators, managed service providers and network service providers and qualified VARs across Europe.

“This AEP Networks program is great news for us because it lets us approach a wide range of government accounts as well as commercial users with a highly secure VPN product that has already proven itself,” said Gavan Eagan, head of northern Europe at Cybertrust Inc., a global leader in information security products and services.

Jan Vekemans, vice president of sales for Europe, Middle East and Africa , will head the marketing initiative, applying both his expertise with the Net product line and knowledge of the European market. Partners with the proven expertise to implement advanced network security products will gain from these program benefits:

• Superior gross margins
• Consultancy services that drawing upon AEP's experience in implementing complex multi-site secure data networks
• Priority technical support
• Not-for-resale (NFR) equipment
• Co-op funds for marketing and sales activities

Certification requirements and program details will be posted on the AEP website.

AEP Net: A Proven Solution for Public-Sector Network Security
AEP Net is a highly secure IP VPN platform that protects IP traffic across networks. With one device deployed at each facility (and supporting pairs of devices for those sites requiring fault tolerance), Net encryptors provide both data confidentiality and endpoint authentication for network traffic, resulting in high-confidence VPN communications. AEP Net products feature a central policy management console that allows all Net devices in a network to be remotely managed and updated, a rare feature that significantly reduces the cost of key and network management.

Since 2001, more than 1,200 Net devices have been deployed, making the product one of the leading CESG-certified IP VPN encryptors now on the market.

New EB Series For The Broader Market
Now, by deploying the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm onto the proven Net encryption platform, the EB series delivers this highly secure managed VPN capability to a wider market. The EB series will be targeted at both commercial enterprises such as national or regional banks and other financial institutions as well as a broad range of governmental and public-sector users requiring best practice security standards. The EB20M offers 18Mbps throughput, while the EB100M delivers better than 160Mbps performance for bandwidth-intensive applications. Both are available immediately.

About AEP Networks
AEP Networks, the specialist in network and application access security, delivers infrastructure security solutions that are easy to use and manage while offering exceptional value and mission-critical reliability. AEP Networks was formed as a result of the merger between AEP Systems Ltd and Netilla Networks Inc. in 2004. The company provides a full range of innovative secure networking and application access products to meet the most demanding requirements of public-sector and commercial customers. A privately held company backed by leading technology investors, AEP Networks is based in Somerset, N.J., with European headquarters in London.

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