Funk Software Ships Endpoint Integrity Solution Based On Trusted Computing Group’s Trusted Network Connect Standards

CAMBRIDGE, MA—October 12, 2005 — Funk Software, a leading provider of network access security solutions, today announced general availability of its suite of endpoint integrity products, including new Steel-Belted Radius®/Endpoint Assurance and a new version of its secure, low-overhead 802.1X supplicant Odyssey® Client, that lets enterprises take a proactive approach to network security and significantly strengthen the protection of their networks – using a standards-based approach that permits interoperability across a wide variety of vendor offerings and ensures scalability to future technologies.

An endpoint integrity solution based on Steel-Belted Radius/Endpoint Assurance and Odyssey Client protects enterprise networks against viruses, worms, and other threats to network security by ensuring that only devices which comply with an enterprise’s security policies are granted access to the network or even issued an IP address. Non-compliant devices may be directed to a remediation or quarantine network where they can be updated into compliance, in many instances automatically and without human intervention. Funk Software’s endpoint integrity software is compatible with security and infrastructure products from McAfee®, Symantec®, PatchLinkâ„?, ProCurve Networking by HP, and others.

Funk Software’s new Endpoint Assurance products are built upon the open standards developed by the Trusted Computing Group’s Trusted Network Connect (TNC) subgroup, which is dedicated to defining and promoting an open solution architecture to ensure endpoint integrity. With endpoint integrity products based on the TNC standards, enterprises can leverage existing technology and use the best-of-breed products of their choice, avoiding the restraints of a proprietary architecture.

“Maintaining network integrity is a key objective of most enterprises as they define their IT and security objectives for 2006, but most enterprises have delayed deployment until a solution demonstrating true multi-vendor compatibility became available,” said Joe Ryan, vice president of Funk Software. “Funk Software’s Endpoint Assurance products are the first of their kind to leverage the open TNC architecture for interoperability across a wide variety of vendor offerings. They work with existing, complex security architectures, and provide scalability to embrace future technologies as networks continue to evolve.”

Funk Software’s Endpoint Assurance products allow enterprises to determine the security and compliance of clients connecting to their networks and provide network access based on the policy compliance and integrity of the client endpoint. Endpoint Assurance offers the following key benefits for network managers:

· Network enforcement of endpoint integrity for the strongest protection – With a Funk Software product, a network endpoint’s compliance with enterprise security policies is verified in tandem with user authentication, before the device is granted access to the network or even issued an IP address (even after network connection, the endpoint’s integrity can be checked on a periodic basis or whenever the endpoint’s security state changes). Security and compliance are enforced at the edge of the network, so the strongest protection is provided.

· Unsurpassed multi-vendor compatibility so enterprises are never locked in to a solution from a single vendor – With support for each security and equipment vendor’s specialized features plus full support for the TNC standards, Funk Software’s Endpoint Assurance products are compatible in virtually any network environment and support any security policy. Funk Software maintains strong partnerships with numerous industry leaders, including McAfee, Symantec, and PatchLink, to ensure up-to-date support for their products.

· Ability to automatically remediate non-compliant endpoints – With a Funk Software product, any device which does not pass its integrity check can be automatically redirected to a “quarantine” network and then easily updated to meet mandatory baseline. A unique Auto Remediate feature quickly repairs simple issues such as a personal firewall that was de-activated by a user, ensuring compliance and an almost immediate return to network access. Any open standards-based remediation product such as PatchLink’s PATCHLINK UPDATEâ„?, can operate with this solution.

· Comprehensive network coverage – A Funk Software product supports users who connect to the network via wireless and wired connections so enterprises can extend endpoint integrity verification to the entire network.

· Ease of configuration and deployment plus minimal end user impact equals the lowest overhead – A key consideration for enterprises is how easily the endpoint integrity client can be deployed. Funk Software’s easy-to-adopt product includes powerful pre-configuration, deployment, and client lock down tools that significantly facilitate installation and updates across all devices, wired or wireless, with minimal impact on support organizations.

· Time-tested for the most reliable operation – Funk Software’s endpoint integrity products — built on the Company’s time-tested network access security products, already deployed at thousands of enterprises worldwide — reflect the reliability and engineering excellence that are the hallmark of Funk Software’s products.

Funk Software’s endpoint integrity products are built on the widely-accepted protocols RADIUS and 802.1X. A complete Funk Software/TNC-based endpoint integrity solution comprises the following components:

· Steel-Belted Radius/Endpoint Assurance, which works with Funk Software’s RADIUS server Steel-Belted Radius, authenticates users, performs or brokers the integrity check, and grants access to the network according to the result of the authentication and integrity check.

· Funk Software’s 802.1X supplicant Odyssey Client lets a user request access to the network, passing not only login credentials but security information about the user’s endpoint.

· TNC-compliant security software modules work with existing endpoint security systems such as those from Symantec, McAfee, and PatchLink to gather security information about the endpoint and check this information against configured security policies and requirements.

· 802.1X-compliant access equipment.

Endpoint Assurance Developer’s Kit

In addition to its commercial endpoint integrity products, Funk Software also offers an Endpoint Assurance Software Developer’s Kit (EASDK) that allows vendors to integrate with the TNC architecture using the standards recently announced by the TCG for Integrity Measurement Collectors (IF-IMC) and Integrity Measurement Verifiers (IF-IMV).

The EASDK will be especially useful to security software and hardware vendors, such as those who offer anti-virus, personal firewall, network management, and patch management products. Instead of needing to support many proprietary integrity checking APIs to work with integrity checking software from different vendors, they can simply develop a single IMC and IMV. Customers will benefit through rapid adoption of the TNC standards.

Availability

Funk Software’s new TNC-based products, including Steel-Belted Radius/Endpoint Assurance server and Odyssey Client with Endpoint Assurance functionality, are available directly from Funk Software as well as through Funk Software’s Inner Circle Partners and network of authorized international partners.

Vendors interested in the Endpoint Assurance Software Developer’s Kit should either email their interest and contact information to easdk@funk.com, or contact Funk Software’s Endpoint Assurance Product Manager directly at +1 (617) 497-6339 for more information.

About Funk Software

Funk Software is a leading provider of network access security solutions for networks of any size, from enterprise to operator, wired or wireless. The company’s family of RADIUS/AAA and WLAN security products allow an organization to enforce a uniform security policy across all network access methods, including WLAN, remote/VPN, dial, and identity-based (wired 802.1X) – with the performance and reliability to handle any traffic load, and with full support for any network infrastructure. Funk Software’s customers include many of the world’s largest corporations, institutions, telecommunications carriers, and internet service providers (ISPs); its products are licensed or resold by numerous leading manufacturers of Internet hardware and software. Founded in 1982, Funk Software is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.funk.com or call +1 (617) 497-6339.