Ace Hardware Implements OpenService for Proactive Security Threat Management and Defense.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WESTBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 12, 2004

Open's Security Threat Manager Quickly Identifies and Escalates True Threats From IDS and Network Noise; Maximizing IT Effectiveness in Managing Attacks

OpenService (TM), Inc. (Open), the leader in enterprise security management software, today announced that Ace Hardware Corp., the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the industry, has selected Open's Security Threat Manager (STM) to protect Ace's internal information networks from outside attacks. Implemented in only five days, STM has provided Ace's IT security team with real-time security threat correlation for the company's intranets, e-mail servers, and retailer services networks, which play a vital role in Ace's ability to deliver value to its retail outlets.

Ace Hardware Corp. is a cooperative of 4,900 independent retail hardware stores. The company's retailers are supported by more than 65,000 brand name and Ace label items, a comprehensive national advertising program, sophisticated retail support systems, and headquarters and field staff personnel. In order to effectively protect the company's immense network of retail and corporate sites, Ace selected real-time firewall and intrusion detection system (IDS) log analysis powered by STM. The rapid and successful software implementation has allowed Ace's product experts to devote more time to other security projects and has given security teams timely analysis of the mountains of data generated on the network by linking events from the IDS and firewalls, further preventing costly security breaches.

"Ace's network is critical to delivering the value and support our retailers need to carry the brand forward as the industry's leading hardware supplier," said Bob Wrobel, data security manager, Ace Hardware Corp. "We are always on guard against the kind of malicious attacks that we've recently heard so much about. We chose Open's Security Threat Manager for its ability to view our network security systems and devices holistically and provide insight into the performance of our security appliances. STM will help us continue to fend off attacks as soon as they appear, keeping IT security invisible to our end users."

STM is the first real-time event correlation technology to merge enterprise security and network data management into one software solution. STM collects, correlates and escalates legitimate events generated by security devices including firewalls, intrusion detection systems, anti-virus applications, and network devices. STM also integrates network traps into its security event management correlation processes, enabling Ace to configure STM to automatically monitor network hosts under attack in order to detect when a device may be compromised. The benefits of deploying STM include:

-- False positive and false negative reduction;

-- Real-time threat triage and prioritization;

-- Earlier responses in the attack cycle, reducing costs and

business impact;

-- Business impact mitigation; and

-- Lowered remediation costs.

"Ace Hardware is a great example of a forward-looking company that takes a proactive stance toward enterprise security" said Phil Hollows, Vice President of Product Marketing for Open. "The only way to manage a successful security ecosystem is to have a full succinct view of all the events, attacks and threats on a network. STM and its real-time event correlation technology provide that holistic view in a flexible powerful software solution."

About Ace Hardware Corp.

Founded in 1924, Ace Hardware Corp. is headquartered in Oak Brook, Ill., and is a cooperative wholly owned by its 4,900 independent hardware, home center, lumber and building materials retailers. Ace currently operates 15 distribution centers in the U.S. and has retail sales that exceed $13 billion. More information on Ace can be found at www.acehardware.com, where consumers also have the ability to order products online.

About Open

Open helps global enterprises and government organizations turn deployed security systems into effective enterprise protection. Open offers integrated security and network management applications that provide a layer of intelligence between devices and the risk context for people managing threats. Unlike security management toolkits that can be expensive and time-consuming to deploy and maintain, Open is the only vendor to provide software that deploys in days, not months, and which provides a blended view of security and network metrics to effectively manage threats. Visit www.open.com for more information.