Advanced Routing And Remote Access Features Added To netXpand SoHo And Central With New PRIME Software; High-speed ISDN card developed for SoHo and Central, sells for $399.

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 2, 1996--SBE, Inc. (NASDAQ symbol: SBEI) today announced major new routing and remote access software features to its netXpand SoHo and Central remote connectivity products.

Some of the new enhancements are standard and are free upgrades for existing customers. A new software program called PRIME will be sold separately for customers requiring more advanced routing and remote access features.

"The netXpand products represent an optimized design of high-end remote connectivity in a sleek, affordable design for any size business," stated Tony Spielman, SBE vice president of marketing and systems sales. "Customers can expect SBE to continue providing free software upgrades with standard enhancements as well as optional software packages offering more advanced features."

The no charge software upgrade for netXpand SoHo and Central customers will be available in May. Features include: Windows 95 and NT support for the netXpand Workshop configuration utility, support for the NTT iT ISDN ThunderCard, the ability to use two ISDN B-channels through multi-link PPP, bandwidth on demand, Sync/Async ISDN terminal adapter operation, and IPX session emulation (or spoofing) and traffic sensitive dialing to cost-effectively manage ISDN and analog telephone charges.

The new PRIME software option will be available in May and has a list price of $150. The key features include data compression on ISDN ports for faster throughput, modem pooling (a free upgrade in September), Chat scripting for remote dial-up services from Internet service providers, and firewall filtering.

Another milestone for the netXpand SoHo and Central products is the availability in May of a high-speed PCMCIA ISDN card from NTT iT for $399 (U.S. list price). The ThunderCard was co-developed by SBE and NTT iT for use in the netXpand product family. It can use both B-channels provided with ISDN BRI services. Each B-channel can be run separately for two lines operating at speeds up to 64Kbps, or both channels can be combined for speeds up to 128Kbps.

netXpand Product Family

The netXpand family of products include SoHo, which has two PCMCIA and two serial WAN ports and is designed for small businesses, branch offices and workgroups, Central, which has eight PCMCIA and two serial WAN ports and is intended for small-to-medium size businesses needing a higher number of concurrent remote connections, and ROUTEMAN, the world's first integrated four-port Ethernet hub, router and remote access product for the small office or home office, and workgroups.

netXpand SoHo and Central provide secure Client-to-LAN and LAN-to-LAN connections via analog telephone lines, ISDN BRI services, and 56Kbps to T1/E1 dedicated lines. Both products route TCP/IP and IPX protocols, bridge other protocols, and support PPP for WAN interoperability. Standard security features included in netXpand SoHo and Central are PAP, CHAP, restricted callback, and logs network access. The products can also be managed via third-party SNMP managers.

netXpand SoHo has a list price of $899 and netXpand Central sells for $1,899. Each product also supports Windows 95, NT and 3.1x, and includes Windows-based software for configuration, administration and remote access.

Corporate Information

SBE, based in San Ramon, Calif., designs and manufactures high-speed data communications equipment at the company's ISO-9001 certified facility. The netXpand family of products provide cost-effective remote connectivity solutions which simplify the complexity of data communications and allow non-technical users access to remote network resources. SBE also produces advanced wide area network access communications products for original equipment manufacturers and system integrators, and workstation and PC server applications. SBE's products are sold through a select group of certified resellers worldwide.

U.S. corporate offices are located at 4550 Norris Canyon Road, San Ramon, Calif., 94583. For additional sales information, SBE can be contacted at: toll-free in the U.S. 800-214-4723, Tel. [phone], Fax [phone], E-mail [e-mail], and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sbei.com. -0-

NOTE TO EDITORS: SBE, the SBE logo, netXpand and ROUTEMAN are trademarks of SBE, Inc. ThunderCard is the trademark of NTT Intelligent Technologies Co., Ltd.

CONTACT: SBE

Todd Koch, 510/355-7758

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