FIBERLINK

New Offering Identifies and Remediates Security Vulnerabilities on Mobile and Remote Computers Regardless of Network Connectivity

February 23, 2004

SAN FRANCISCO, RSA Conference - Feb. 23, 2004 - Fiberlink Communications Corp., a leading provider of comprehensive, policy-centric remote access services for enterprises, today announced that it is partnering with BigFix, a leading provider of vulnerability management solutions, to deliver the first fully managed solution to offer full identification and remediation of vulnerabilities and other configuration management capabilities for mobile and remote computers. Unlike other remote access solutions that require workers to connect to a network before enforcing patch and configuration policies, Fiberlink's solution will integrate with BigFix to ensure that mobile and remote workers are armed with the latest software and operating system patches, updates and configuration settings before connecting to the corporate network.
According to Carnegie Mellon University, more than 90 percent of all security breaches involved a software vulnerability that IT departments knew about but didn't patch. Furthermore, as organizations become increasingly mobile and dependent on remote workers to fulfill critical sales, service and executive roles, the task of managing vulnerabilities on remote computers is fast becoming mission-critical.

BigFix's patch management capabilities, integrated into Fiberlink's award-winning remote access platform, Dynamic Network Architecture ^TM, will enable enterprises to identify security vulnerabilities at remote endpoints. The technology will also notify and alert IT managers of patch and configuration-related problems, enforce upgrades, and deliver business intelligence on each event, helping enterprises reduce exposure to security risks and maintain business productivity.

"IT managers require security features, such as remote endpoint security and vulnerability patching to be deployed as a network service. This improves the protection of remote clients while driving down the average cost to protect and maintain a desktop," said Eric Ogren, senior analyst of security solutions & services at the Yankee Group. "This combination of technologies, led by the integrated offering from Fiberlink and BigFix, should help IT managers better protect network endpoints while saving time and reducing costs associated with frequent updates."

Fiberlink makes it possible to enforce patch, security and business policies before endpoints connect to the network, due to its uniquely designed DNA Platform. This architecture separates secure remote access into discreet components so that policy enforcement does not require a corporate network connection. This capability is augmented by BigFix's powerful, agent-based platform that provides unmatched speed and control to identify, investigate and remediate vulnerabilities. BigFix Agents allow organizations to retrieve virtually any observable property from tens of thousands of remote endpoints, and in minutes make a registry, configuration or other change.

"The ability to assess and manage vulnerabilities is essential in maintaining a network that supports a remote workforce," said George Billman, vice president of business development of BigFix, Inc. "Our partnership with Fiberlink takes patch management to new levels for IT managers who must balance network security and worker productivity."

"In an age of accelerating vulnerabilities, hacker attacks, software updates and security patches, IT managers seek more specialized types of configuration management," said Skip Taylor, vice president of product marketing for Fiberlink. "With BigFix, we can help enterprises not only manage patches, but also address a much broader set of endpoint vulnerabilities."

About BigFix, Inc.

BigFix enterprise vulnerability management solutions help large organizations maintain the health, performance and security of their systems. The foundation for all BigFix solutions is a scalable, secure, agent-based platform, the BigFix Enterprise Suite (BES), which gives IT departments complete visibility into every computer running on a corporate network, with the power and control to proactively identify, assess and remediate threats in a timely manner. The BES platform provides the foundation for ready-to-deploy solutions from BigFix for patch management, vulnerability identification and remediation (VIR) and for configuration management. BigFix customers include large organizations in a range of markets including energy, financial services, government, manufacturing, and technology. For more information, visit www.bigfix.com.

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 extended business opportunities. Multi-network redundancy, best-of-breed application services and support, low total cost-of-ownership and minimal impact on IT help make Fiberlink an important business partner.

Analyst firms including Gartner, Burton Group and Yankee Group recognize Fiberlink as a leader and innovator in the remote access industry. Fiberlink has more than 300,000 corporate users. Fiberlink customers include General Electric, BMC Software, Computer Sciences Corporation, Royal Caribbean, The Gillette Company and Sun Healthcare. Headquartered in Blue Bell, Pa., USA, Fiberlink has offices throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.

For more information on Fiberlink, visit its Web site at http://www.fiberlink.com .

Susan Sutton
Fiberlink Communications Corp.
ssutton@fiberlink.com
(215) 793-3427

James Boike
A&R Partners for Fiberlink
jboike@arpartners.com
(212) 905-6157

© 2005 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.