AlterPoint Announces Availability of DeviceAuthority Suite 3.5.

AUSTIN, Texas -- New version delivers the intelligence and automation enabling enforceable compliance, effortless change and real-time security across enterprise IT infrastructures

AlterPoint(TM), Inc., the leading provider of intelligent network change and configuration management (NCCM) solutions, today announced the availability of DeviceAuthority(TM) Suite 3.5, a comprehensive solution for automating and managing the change and configuration of complex, multi-vendor network infrastructures. DeviceAuthority Suite 3.5 delivers extended intelligence giving IT professionals the necessary information to proactively automate configuration changes throughout the IT infrastructure. Through new NCCM features and functionalities including automated policy remediation, graphical summary reports, CiscoWorks RME integration, remote access authentication and proactive configuration syntax checking, network compliance, security and change management can be effectively and intelligently managed in-line with business demands.

"In this new age of regulatory compliance, we are finally experiencing a rush to improved process discipline based on configuration and change management," said Glenn O'Donnell, program director, Technology Research Services, META Group. "Automation technologies offer a means to enforce compliance to the change process, speed execution of changes, minimize errors in the process and ensure that changes are authorized. When we have more accurate configuration information, we can more effectively fulfill compliance requirements, enhance security, better assess the impact of changes, improve the automated root cause analysis of performance problems and failures, and optimize the planning for business change."

Version 3.5 of DeviceAuthority Suite's award-winning technology provides powerful capabilities that deliver the intelligence and automation to ensure changes and configurations are conducted efficiently, effectively and in real-time, reducing the cost, complexity and risk of managing enterprise networks. New features include:

--Extended Intelligence. By expanding AlterPoint's Network Intelligence Model(TM) (NIM) to over 700 hardware, software, configuration and operational attributes, users are now able to establish advanced compliance standards, preventing issues such as network outages from occurring, increasing device configuration efficiency and accuracy, and greatly improving network security. New attributes include VLAN mappings and settings, LAN spanning tree settings, static route configurations, default route settings, and custom-defined attributes.

--Proactive Configuration Syntax Checking. Provides a way for IT staff to validate syntax strings for a planned configuration change prior to its deployment to network devices, reducing human error, increasing staff productivity, and automatically remediating problems before they impact the business.

--Graphical Summary Reports. Provides summary views of change, policy and inventory activities and trends over a defined period for a simplified understanding of regulatory state.

--Out-of-the-box Sarbanes-Oxley Reporting. Provides the information, reporting and control required to measure and enforce compliance. Out-of-the box knowledge templates ensure a high-level of compliance understanding.

--Automated Policy Remediation. Allows for proactive change management of network devices that are out of compliance or in violation. Through automated remediation change templates, out of compliance devices are detected and automatically fixed, allowing organizations to align and enforce internal and industry initiatives, regulations, and standards such as ITIL, NSA, ISO, Sarbanes-Oxley and Six Sigma.

--Remote Authentication. With the introduction of integration with leading authentication systems (CiscoSecure ACS, TACACS+, RADIUS), access to network devices is controlled through the use of usernames and passwords, providing greater control to improve network security.

--CiscoWorks RME Integration. The integration with CiscoWorks enables RME users to utilize their RME investment for base configuration management functions, while leveraging DeviceAuthority Suite extended configuration capabilities such as multi-vendor and advanced policy management, increasing scalability, operability and productivity.

--SUN Solaris Support. Continuing to meet the requirements of the largest, most advanced enterprise and service provider networks, AlterPoint has added support for SUN Solaris v9.0. This operating system joins DeviceAuthority Suite's support for RedHat Linux and Microsoft Windows 2000 & 2003. Additionally, DeviceAuthority Suite continues to offer database support for mySQL, MicroSoft SQL or Oracle.

"The adoption of intelligent network change and configuration management solutions are a direct result of enterprise IT organizations needing complete governance to keep up with pressing business demands such as compliance and network security," said Jeffrey Ait, president and CEO, AlterPoint. "Early adopters are being joined if not surpassed by larger Fortune 500 companies needing to address underlying configuration issues to keep IT in line with business objectives. DeviceAuthority Suite v3.5 delivers the intelligence and automation that provides a formalized process to move IT organizations towards a more proactive approach to managing their infrastructures."

Network Insight, LLC , a Managed Service Provider (MSP) specializing in network integration, consulting and network management services, will leverage DeviceAuthority Suite 3.5 to automate routine and complex tasks such syntax checking, data trends reporting, and auto-remediation of device violations.

"The intelligence DeviceAuthority Suite has delivered over the last year has truly allowed us to increase the optimization of our NOC," said Matt Stoyka, VP Operations, Network Insight. "The new version, however, will certainly take us to a new level on achieving governance on a global scale. With new features such as automated policy remediation and configuration syntax checking, we anticipate increasing staff efficiency and lowering MTTR by reducing human error and proactively gaining knowledge that was unattainable before."

Pricing and Availability

DeviceAuthority Suite 3.5 is now available. Prices for the DeviceAuthority Suite (includes DeviceAuthority Server, DeviceAuthority Audit Module and DeviceAuthority Update Module) start at $19,950 for 100 devices, while the DeviceAuthority Audit Module (includes DeviceAuthority Server) starts at $5,000 for 50 devices, and the DeviceAuthority Update Module starts at $7,500 for 50 devices. Volume-based discounts are also available. For more information, visit www.alterpoint.com or call [phone].

About the Network Intelligence Model (NIM)

AlterPoint's Network Intelligence Model(TM) (NIM) reduces the complexity, risk and expertise required to manage the configuration of the network. The NIM automatically captures, normalizes and classifies detailed information about a device configuration, including all physical and logical components (e.g. Operating System version, Access Control Lists, etc), their attributes and the relationships between them. The NIM also contains an embedded library of expert knowledge for the management of components in the model, which is automatically applied to these components as they are discovered and classified. The combination of a detailed, vendor-independent data model with out-of-the-box expert knowledge enables organizations to analyze, implement and manage changes in an intelligent manner--without requiring scripting.

About AlterPoint, Inc.

AlterPoint develops intelligent network change and configuration management (NCCM) solutions that have pioneered the evolution of network management. Companies worldwide rely on the intelligence and automation provided by AlterPoint's award-winning product, DeviceAuthority Suite, to proactively manage configuration change, compliance and security across their multi-vendor network to maximize the performance and availability of their IT infrastructure. Founded in 2001, AlterPoint is headquartered in Austin, Texas, with offices in Europe and Asia. For more information, please visit www.alterpoint.com.

About Network Insight

Established in 2000, Network Insight, LLC is a Managed Service Provider (MSP) specializing in network integration, consulting and network management services for over 25 private and public enterprise organizations worldwide in the Retail, Distribution, Manufacturing, Wireless, Telecommunications and Non-Commercial industries. Network Insight focuses on assisting customers in aligning their network technology with business goals and strategies through maintaining continuity of their infrastructures. For more information, please visit www.networkinsight.com.

(C) 2001-2005 AlterPoint, Incorporated. All Rights Reserved. AlterPoint, DeviceAuthority, and their respective logos are trademarks of AlterPoint, Inc. in the United States and other jurisdictions. All other company or product names mentioned are used only for identification purposes and may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.