8e6 Technologies Extends Leadership Position in Education Market; Enhanced K-12 Initiative Enables Educators to Secure the Online Learning Environment.

SAN DIEGO -- At the National Education Computing Conference, 8e6 Technologies, a security company dedicated to Internet filtering and reporting, today announced its K-12 initiative designed to address the vulnerabilities of Internet-assisted learning at school and in the home. The initiative has three major components: technology solutions optimized for education; an "Open Dialogue" program; and free resources and product evaluations for the K-12 market. 8e6 Technologies also unveiled its new 8e6 Client, an affordable Internet filtering solution for laptop PCs and Macs that allows schools to seamlessly filter school laptops used by students at home.

"8e6 Technologies is a proven leader in developing Internet security products for K-12 customers, which account for more than half of our installed base," said Paul Myer, president and chief operating officer at 8e6 Technologies. "We have listened to our K-12 customers since 1997, which has enabled us to incorporate education-specific feature sets into our products to ensure they provide the highest degree of protection from evolving Web-based threats. We also serve as a bridge to Washington for those customers, representing their interests while meeting with legislators to stay abreast of pending legislation and changes in policy that affect the education market."

Products Designed for K-12

As more students rely on the Internet at school and at home, they are increasingly exposed to inappropriate Web content, online predators through popular networking sites like MySpace and malicious software. Many Internet filtering solutions are designed for the enterprise, not the classroom, and fail to address the unique challenges faced by educators seeking to provide a secure learning environment. 8e6 Technologies' products are designed with features tailored to the K-12 market, including:

--Google/Yahoo SafeSearch enforcement

--"X-Strikes" blocking that sets limits on students' attempts to access unacceptable sites

--A wildcard feature that ensures complete protection from MySpace.com and other social networking sites 

--The ability to block access to anonymous proxies used to bypass filters; offers Web proxy pattern detection capabilities that detect proxies created on the fly based on network signature, not pre-identified URLs

--Predefined CIPA compliant rule to allow for ease of administration

8e6 Technologies is the first to develop remote client filtering on PC and Mac laptops -- an essential requirement as more K-12 schools offer laptop computers for students to use at home. Shipping this summer in time for the start of the school year, 8e6's new laptop solution allows schools to apply the same Web filtering protection on laptops as computers used at school on the network. (Please refer to separate press release for details.)

An Open Dialogue with Customers, Partners and Government

8e6 Technologies is committed to keeping an "Open Dialogue" with key influencers in the education community. In the spring of 2006, 8e6 held a series of meetings with key policymakers in Washington to gather information on the direction of education policy and legislation, and to learn how future changes in policy could impact its customers. The company also leveraged these meetings to convey concerns by its customers over the course of the previous 12 months.

Customers are the lifeblood of any company, and 8e6 Technologies' product innovation is driven by customers and their needs. The company holds an annual education customer forum each year that allows 8e6 Technologies executives to meet with up to 20 education customers, incorporate their feedback into the product roadmap and learn how to better meet their needs. It is this level of commitment, and the work of its certified resellers, that results in 8e6 Technologies securing an amazing 95 percent customer renewal rate.

"8e6 Technologies understands the unique needs of the K-12 education customer and offers products with features tailored to child safety," said Ken Plunk, president of PC Hotline, Inc., a leading 8e6 authorized education reseller in Amarillo, Texas. "Because of 8e6's expertise in this market, PC Hotline has been able to sign up 14 out of 20 Education Service Centers in Texas, serving 462 schools statewide. Clearly, 8e6 has become the Web filtering standard for educators across the state."

Free Resources for Tight School Budgets

8e6 Technologies helps lift the burden felt by small or under-staffed education IT departments by providing a one-source shop for standalone Internet filtering and reporting solutions. This one-vendor approach to filtering assures that customer support is just a phone call away, and unlike software-based solutions that require network integration and result in confusion over accountability, 8e6 Technologies' customers will not be referred to a technology partner for support. The company offers discounted pricing for K-12 customers and free product evaluations so that school districts and IT administrators can test 8e6 products in their own network.

8e6 Technologies has created a free K-12 Internet Filtering best practices guide to educate teachers and administrators about proven methods for protecting children from online threats. Based on real-world deployments at large school districts across the United States, 8e6 Technologies has compiled information about how to use Web filtering to overcome very specific challenges the K-12 market faces. To secure a copy of the best practices guide visit www.8e6.com/education.

8e6 Technologies also provides a wealth of free K-12 resources available on its Web site at www.8e6.com/education. The site is updated regularly to include timely information that keeps pace with new challenges facing educators. In summer 2006, 8e6 Technologies has introduced a podcast series addressing various perspectives on MySpace (www.8e6.com/education/podcasts).

About 8e6 Technologies

8e6 Technologies is a security company dedicated to Internet filtering and reporting. We are the only Web filtering company that uses a unique "pass-by technology" on a highly scalable appliance. Our standalone reporting appliance is easy to use and provides extremely detailed information, faster than any other product on the market. By preventing improper Web access, 8e6 Technologies ensures CIPA compliance and provides a secure learning environment. Our standalone security solution achieves a dramatic reduction in the cost of hardware, subscriptions, maintenance, and support, and produces a substantially lower total cost of ownership. A Web filtering pioneer since 1995, the company maintains headquarters in Orange, California, with offices in Taipei and Beijing, as well as a network of channel partners worldwide. For more information, please call 888.786.7999 or visit www.8e6.com/education.