Authentica Introduces New Enterprise DRM Solution For Secure Information Collaboration.

Business Editors

RSA Conference 2004

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 17, 2004

Authentica Secure Office Allows Secure Collaboration on Microsoft

Office Content with Exclusive Active Rights Management Technology

Authentica, Inc., a leading provider of Enterprise Digital Rights Management (E-DRM) software, today expanded its product suite with the introduction of Authentica(R) Secure Office, a new E- DRM solution that lets users securely collaborate on native Microsoft Office content with business associates within or beyond the enterprise perimeter. Authentica will showcase Authentica Secure Office next week at RSA Conference 2004, Moscone Center, San Francisco, Calif., February 23-27, Booth 1635.

Authentica Secure Office is the only E-DRM solution that gives organizations dynamic policy control over native Microsoft Word, PowerPoint and Excel files located anywhere, within or outside of enterprise boundaries. Authentica's patented Active Rights Management(TM) technology enables files to be continuously protected and secured, even while allowing others to revise them. Information owners control who can access, edit, copy/paste, forward, and print documents, spreadsheets and presentations. These permissions can be changed on the fly, even after recipients have accessed and edited protected files.

"Organizations are becoming increasingly concerned about the exposure of intellectual property - whether sharing their own with business partners or while acting as custodians of their customers' data. It's not enough to apply fortress security methods limited to the enterprise perimeter - the information itself must be secured to match the practical needs of today's business," said John Bruce, CEO of Authentica. "Authentica gives enterprises a way to more securely share and collaborate on information, without giving up control. We can better protect and manage content throughout its lifecycle by adding Authentica Secure Office to our existing family of Secure Document Publishing and E-mail Applications."

With Authentica Secure Office, files are encrypted and the security policies are enforced wherever intellectual property is distributed. Content owners can expire a file at any time and all copies will be automatically deleted wherever they are located (such as sender and recipient desktops, servers or back-up media).

"Authentica's support of multiple document formats was crucial for our selection of their solution," stated a manager of information security at a Fortune 100 consumer packaged goods manufacturer. "We are now able to protect trade secrets that we publish in Adobe Acrobat and collaborate on in Microsoft Office. Having the ability to change access and usage permissions in real time gives us the confidence to share sensitive documents internally and externally."

Continuous Audit Trail

Authentica Secure Office also provides a continuous audit trail reflecting all document activity so organizations always know how information is being accessed and used. Content owners are able to see what pages of a file were viewed, by whom, when, from where, for how long, and whether they were printed or edited. This permanent audit trail is extremely important for compliance with regulatory requirements and with an organization's own security policies.

"Enterprise Digital Rights Management technologies potentially allow organizations to go beyond IP loss prevention, even enabling new business models to gain competitive advantage," said Ray Wagner, Ph.D., research director, information security strategies at Gartner. "The ability of an organization to dynamically control access to, and use of, sensitive information after delivery would support functions including secure collaboration, sensitive content protection, and regulatory compliance."

Authentica Secure Office delivers numerous features and benefits:

-- Secure document collaboration allows organizations to

collaborate on sensitive documents without losing control of

the information

-- Dynamic policy control enables users to recall access to

information when individual roles or business relationships

change

-- Continuous audit trail provides ongoing assurance of policy

compliance and confirms that information has been viewed

-- Automatic expiration control enforces document retention

policies and allows version control on distributed documents

-- Desktop integration provides an easy-to-use, familiar

interface to protect, manage, and track sensitive data without

impacting existing user workflow

-- Persistent document protection simplifies administration since

the document is continuously protected independent of where it

resides

-- Integration with existing security infrastructure reduces

administrator burden by using existing authentication systems

and user directories for document policies

-- Heterogeneous Windows support enables E-DRM to be deployed

independent of an organization's desktop platforms

Wide Range of Applications

Authentica Secure Office can be used to protect sensitive documents, spreadsheets and presentations for a wide range of applications. For example:

-- Executive teams can securely share confidential presentations

and revoke access to all electronic copies at any time

-- Human Resources teams can securely collaborate on

restructuring plans and compensation spreadsheets

-- Marketing and product development teams can work together on

product design specifications and price books with outsourcing

partners

-- Corporate legal counsel can ensure their organization's

compliance with customer non-disclosure agreements

Pricing and Availability

Authentica Secure Office will be available in March 2004 with pricing beginning at $50,000.

About Authentica

Authentica, Inc. provides proven Enterprise Digital Rights Management (E-DRM) software for secure collaboration, publishing, and persistent control of intellectual property throughout its lifecycle. Information owners can control how e-mail and documents are handled by recipients after delivery, no matter where they reside. Authentica's E-DRM products are used by Fortune 2000 organizations and government agencies to securely share valuable information internally and with external partners. Investors include 3i US, Greylock, North Bridge Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Symantec Corporation, and Venrock. Authentica is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. For additional information, please visit www.authentica.com or contact us at [phone].

Authentica is a registered trademark and Active Rights Management is a trademark of Authentica, Inc. All other brand or product names are or may be trademarks of, and are used to identify products or services of, their respective owners.