FIBERLINK

Fiberlink, Leading Provider of Secure Enterprise Remote Access Solutions, Ranks #335 on the 2003 Inc. 500 With Five-year Sales Growth of 545% ~ California and Washington, D.C. Claim Highest Number of Businesses by State and City ~

October 6, 2003

BLUE BELL, Pa. – Oct. 6, 2003 – Inc. Magazine, the premier publication for small and medium-sized businesses, released its 22nd annual Inc. 500 ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in the country. Fiberlink, the leading provider of secure remote access solutions for enterprises, ranks #335 on the list, with five-year sales growth of 545 percent. The Inc. 500 Special Issue will appear on newsstands October 14 and will be on display until January 2004.

The companies that made this list have thrived through continued stagnation in the economy, posting an average five-year sales growth of 1,312%. With aggregate revenue of $14.4 billion, Inc. 500 companies are a formidable market force. And while the United States shed 1.5 million jobs in 2002, Inc. 500 companies - half of which were launched with less than $20,000 - provided employment for 67,973 people.

"The entrepreneurs you'll find on the Inc. 500 have the type of attitude we need to get this economy moving again," said Inc. editor-in-chief John Koten. "For them, a tough market is not an excuse for poor performance, but an opportunity to innovate and rise above the competition."

The Inc. 500 ranks privately held companies according to sales growth over the past five years. With 75% of all new job creation in the U.S. coming from small businesses, the Inc. 500 is a prescient indicator of the companies and industries that are driving the economy forward. Over the years, the Inc. 500 has identified the next generation of world-class companies, with Microsoft, Stonyfield Farms, Timberland, Oracle, Princeton Review, Morningstar, E* Trade, Intuit and Domino's Pizza all appearing on the list before they became industry powerhouses.

California leads this year as the state with the most Inc. 500 companies (59), Texas is second with 36 firms on the list, followed by Florida (34) and Virginia (30). Maryland and New York are tied with 28 each.

The top metropolitan areas on the Inc. 500 are Washington, D.C. (41 companies), followed by Boston (23), Philadelphia (21), Dallas (19) and Chicago (14). New York City, with only 12, is down from 37 a year ago.

Inc. 500 is proof that tenacious businesspeople can succeed without the benefit of substantial resources. Of the Inc. 500 founders: 48% had start-up capital of less than $20,000, while only 2% received funding from Venture Capital firms. Now, 78% have an estimated net worth of over $1 million. Most Inc. 500 founders jumped right into their businesses; 84% started companies without benefit of any formal research. Also of note, is that 12% of Inc. 500 company founders are women.

Entrepreneurs leading Defense, Advertising & Marketing and Retail companies are poised to do the most hiring over the next year. The industry with the strongest showing on this year's list is Financial Services, followed by Healthcare, Software, Information Technology Services and Advertising & Marketing.

To be eligible for this year's Inc. 500, companies had to be independent and privately held through their fiscal year 2002, have had at least $200,000 in sales in the base year of 1998, and their 2002 sales had to exceed 2001 sales. Inc. verifies all information using tax forms and financial statements from certified public accountants and by conducting interviews with company officials.

About Fiberlink

Fiberlink is a leading provider of secure remote access solutions, unifying worldwide remote access, management and enforcement within existing IT policy. Fiberlink addresses the growing infrastructure complexities of enterprise access brought on by the demands of an expanding business ecosystem. From employees to partners, remote offices to extranets, dial-up to wireless to broadband, Fiberlink allows enterprises to capitalize on virtually any extended business opportunity. Multi-network redundancy, best-of-breed application services and support, the lowest TCO and the least impact on IT help make Fiberlink a critical business partner. For the first time, companies can manage every aspect of remote, mobile or wireless access with the same rigorous policy enforcement as for local users.

With over 300,000 corporate users, analyst firms such as Gartner, Burton Group and Yankee Group recognize Fiberlink as a leader and innovator in the industry. Customers such as General Electric, BMC Software, Computer Sciences Corporation, Royal Caribbean, The Gillette Company, and Sun Healthcare prove it with their business. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pa., Fiberlink has offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

About Inc. Magazine

Inc., the only business magazine dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of fast-growing private companies, delivers real solutions for today's innovative company builders. It provides hands-on tools and market-tested strategies for managing people, finances, sales, marketing and technology. Inc. is the premier publication that focuses on small-to-medium size businesses, which are responsible for more than half the nation's gross domestic product and 75% of its new jobs. And Inc. looks beyond work to address the entrepreneurial lifestyle. Inc., a Gruner + Jahr USA publication, inspires and informs, with cutting edge coverage that reflects our readers' energy, brashness and imagination.

Kristina Osterling
A&R Partners for Fiberlink
kristinao@arpartners.com
212/905.6155

Diane Stefani
The Rosen Group
diane@rosengrouppr.com
212/255.8455 ext. 27

© 2003 Fiberlink and the Fiberlink logo are trademarks of Fiberlink and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. All other brand names are trademarks of their respective partners.