Blue Coat Partners With Alsi For On-Proxy URL Filtering In Japan
SUNNYVALE, Calif., and TOKYO, Nov. 29, 2004 — Blue Coat® Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), a leading provider of proxy appliances, today announced it has partnered with ALSI (Alps System Integration), a leading provider of URL filtering software in Japan, to deliver ALSI’s InterSafe URL database on the high-performance Blue Coat ProxySGâ„? appliances.
The integration of ALSI InterSafe URL filtering with Blue Coat’s proxy appliances provides customers throughout Japan with increased performance, simplified installation and greater reliability for controlling enterprise Web use. The integrated on-proxy solution leverages the NetSTAR technology, a subsidiary of ALSI that gathers URLs through a unique site crawler system and maintains the URL database for accuracy with its database center comprised of more than 30 researchers. Enterprises, schools and universities in Japan will benefit from the ability to filter specific Web threats and URLs applicable to the region, while also improving Web traffic performance on the network.
“Blue Coat’s proxy appliances are an optimal platform for running our comprehensive URL database in Japan,” said Takanobu Abe, managing director of package solutions for ALSI. “By combining our InterSafe URL database with the high-performance ProxySG appliance, customers throughout Japan will be able to implement comprehensive Web controls with increased Web performance.”
“ALSI will make an exceptional partner for Blue Coat with their unique expertise in filtering unwanted and unauthorized Web content for organizations throughout Japan,” said Matthew Young, vice president of Asia Pacific for Blue Coat. “Blue Coat is the only proxy appliance provider to support ALSI’s InterSafe URL database, and we look forward to providing customers throughout Japan this new option for running URL filtering on-proxy.”
Blue Coat offers more choices for running URL filtering on-proxy than any other proxy appliance vendor. In addition to ALSI’s InterSafe database, Blue Coat supports its own Blue Coat Web Filter database, along with SmartFilter, Websense, SurfControl, and ISS, giving customers continued flexibility to choose from each of these well-known databases.
About ALSI
ALSI (Alps System Integration) is a leading security system supplier to enterprises and schools in Japan. ALSI specializes in Web filtering, Internet access management and system security, as well as all school network integration products. ALSI is a consolidated subsidiary of Alps Electric Co., Ltd., one of the world’s premier manufacturers of electronic components for computer, communications and car electronics equipment. ALSI is the Alps Group’s specialized supplier of high quality system integration and software products. For more information, please visit ALSI at www.alsi-usa.com or www.alsi.co.jp.
About NetSTAR
NetSTAR Inc. is a consolidated subsidiary of ALSI, which holds the technology for database compilation and classification of URLs, as well as a means of updating and delivering the latest URL database to customers. Since the company establishment in 2001, NetSTAR’s URL database is being updated daily, and currently contains more than 26 million URLs. For more information, please visit NetSTAR at www.netstar-inc.com.
About Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat enables organizations to keep “good” employees from doing “bad” things on the Internet. Blue Coat high-performance proxy appliances provide visibility and control of Web communications to address today’s new business risks – such as inappropriate Web surfing, spyware, viruses brought in via back door channels such as instant messaging and Web-based email, and network resource abuse due to peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing and video streaming. Trusted by many of the world’s most influential organizations, Blue Coat has shipped more than 20,000 proxy appliances. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.