Akonix Secures Network World's Clear Choice Award for Instant Messaging Management.

SAN DIEGO, Calif. -- Akonix L7 Enterprise Selected as the Foremost Solution to Manage, Secure and Ensure Compliance of IM in the Enterprise

Akonix Systems Inc., the premier provider of business solutions for secure, managed, compliant and integrated multi-network enterprise instant messaging (IM), has won Network World's Clear Choice Award as the best solution for IM management. Akonix L7 Enterprise was selected from a group of four products as the premier solution to control and manage IM use on corporate networks.

The majority of IM use in business comes from the three major public IM services, including AOL Instant Messenger, Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft MSN Messenger. Because of this, the goal of Network World's testing was to find the best solution to manage the security, liability and productivity risks of IM and ensure compliance with government & industry regulations.

Akonix scored a near perfect 4.5 out of 5 rating for its advanced feature set. This includes granular policy management; extensive logging, archiving and reporting, with the ability to automatically run and deliver customized reports; ease of implementation and user experience; simple directory integration; tightly integrated anti-virus engine and other unique features. The next highest competitive score was 3.8. The complete results of the review can be found at http://www.nwfusion.com/reviews/2004/0628imrev.html.

"This is the second award that Akonix has received in the past month, further validating Akonix's technology leadership in delivering to network managers a secure and compliant IM system that allows end-users to reap the full benefits of IM communications inside and outside of the enterprise," said Francis Costello, chief marketing officer at Akonix Systems. "Organizations are realizing that IM is becoming a critical communications resource and progressive businesses are looking for solutions that will allow them to take control and manage the use of IM. The Clear Choice award has been given to Akonix in recognition that no other product can match the IM security, compliance and management features that Akonix L7 Enterprise provides."

"As IM adoption in the enterprise grows, so does IT departments' need for an IM management solution that protect from viruses, compliance breaches, legal liabilities and productivity concerns," said Genelle Hung, analyst and communication director at the Radicati Group. "Akonix L7 Enterprise has an advanced and customized feature set, meeting the needs of network managers."

Akonix L7 Enterprise is the first real-time management gateway for public and enterprise IM systems, allowing corporations to realize the benefits of managed access to IM without compromising compliance or network security. More than 250 companies worldwide have deployed Akonix's gateway, serving more than 300,000 users and L7 Enterprise is the only authorized gateway for AOL, MSN and Yahoo! IM networks.

About Akonix

Akonix is the leading provider of enterprise-class business solutions for leveraging the power of multi-network enterprise instant messaging. Akonix's award-winning products leverage patent-pending core technology, an advanced IM application development platform, and certified strategic partnerships to deliver multi-network management, security, integration and compliance capabilities across all major IM systems, including America Online's AIM and ICQ, Microsoft's MSN, Yahoo!, Microsoft's Live Communications Server (LCS), Reuters Messaging, IBM/Lotus SameTime and Jabber.

More than 250 customers in financial services, telecommunications, energy, technology, healthcare and entertainment depend on Akonix to manage, secure and enable IM for over 300,000 enterprise users. Akonix is the preferred IM management solution of some of the world's largest companies, including Cingular Wireless, Qualcomm, EMC and ING.

Akonix is widely recognized as the technology and market innovator with awards for its L7 Enterprise IM gateway from Windows & .NET Magazine, Network World, eWeek, SC Magazine, PC Magazine and UCSD Connect. Akonix is backed by leading venture capital firms Menlo Ventures, Mission Ventures, Palomar Ventures and Windward Ventures, who collectively manage over $3 billion in capital.

To enable secure and productive use of multi-network instant messaging in your organization, visit www.akonix.com for a free trial or to request more information.