Alcatel Announces OmniAccess 210 for Securing Networks and Mission-Critical Applications; Product is first introduction of security appliance family to be launched this year.

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

CALABASAS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 18, 2002

Alcatel (NYSE:ALA) today announced the OmniAccess 210, the first product in a new family of security appliances that will enable enterprises to provide secure, reliable communications for corporate sites, remote offices, mobile users and business partners. Based on proven technology, the Alcatel OmniAccess 210 evolved from the award-winning 7100 Series of security appliances developed by TimeStep, an Alcatel acquisition.

The Alcatel OmniAccess 210 is a hardware-based, tamper-resistant security appliance that combines Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology with flexible management. The OmniAccess 210 can be seamlessly deployed in most enterprise environments to extend corporate resources to end users and partners at branch offices for remote access Internet, extranet, and intranet applications.

"With increasingly mobile workforces, companies need improved network security to protect vital business-to-business communications against hostile threats from unauthorized users," said Joelle Gauthier, Alcatel vice president of network infrastructure marketing. "The Alcatel OmniAccess 200 Series products ensure that enterprises can meet the mobility and business needs in today's environment, while protecting the integrity of these communications."

"IP VPNs are attractive for their low cost, ubiquity, and the flexibility they provide in ad hoc connectivity," according to IDC analyst Jason Smolek. "Companies that deploy IP VPNs don't need to build private lines between their sites, and for organizations with multiple sites, this represents huge cost savings in terms of capital and time."

The Alcatel OmniAccess 210 combines VPN features including IPsec tunneling, Diffie-Hellman key exchange, Message Digest 5 (MD5) and Secure Hash Algorithm (SHA-1) hashing functions, Digital Signature Algorithm (DSA) and RSA digital signatures, Data Encryption Standard (DES and 3DES), and Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption algorithms. The OmniAccess 210 supports standards-based authentication systems, including shared secret, RADIUS, LDAP, X.509 Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) certificates and smart cards.

"The Alcatel line of security solutions provides the best integration to true PKI policy management. PKI support from other vendors is an afterthought, but with Alcatel it is a central part of their gear, providing tight integration and outstanding support," said David Divins, senior network engineer, ServerVault. "For advanced security requirements, the Alcatel gateways are hands down the best on the market."

The OmniAccess 210 was designed to be compliant to NIST's stringent security standards, adopted by the U.S. government -- Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 140-2, level 2. This helps ensure the physical security of the appliances, including secure cryptographic key storage and tamper evidence, which enables enterprises to deploy products in environments with limited physical protection.

The OmniAccess 210 delivers 12Mbps 3DES and 40 Mbps AES performance while supporting 500 concurrent tunnels. The OmniAccess 200 Series is easy to manage, it offers web-base configuration secured by the Secure Sockets Layer (SSL). For command line interface (CLI) configuration, Secure Shell (SSH) is supported. Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) support provides for device monitoring, including events/alarms, utilization, and status. The OmniAccess 210 Series is recognized by the OmniVista network management application that enables customers to manage many Alcatel products from a central console.

Pricing and Availability

Available in April 2002, the Alcatel OmniAccess 210 includes management software and the option of a 20-user or unlimited VPN Client software license. Pricing for the Alcatel OmniAccess 210 with software starts at $3,995. Alcatel will introduce additional software features and hardware models to the OmniAccess security portfolio later this year.

About Alcatel

Alcatel designs, develops and builds innovative and competitive communications networks, enabling carriers, service providers and enterprises to deliver any type of content, such as voice, data and multimedia, to any type of consumer, anywhere in the world. Relying on its leading and comprehensive products and solutions portfolio, stretching from end-to-end optical infrastructures, fixed and mobile networks to broadband access, Alcatel's customers can focus on optimizing their service offerings and revenue streams. With sales of $22 billion (EURO 25 billion) in 2001 and 99,000 employees, Alcatel operates in more than 130 countries. For more information, visit Alcatel on the Internet: http://www.alcatel.com.