BindView Announces First Products to Secure and Manage Web Services.

Business/Technology Editors

MEC 2002

HOUSTON and ANAHEIM, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 2002

Market Leader Continues to Set the Standard for Comprehensive

Security Solutions; Expands bv-Control and bv-Admin to Address

Challenges of Microsoft .NET Web Services 

BindView Corporation (NASDAQ: BVEW), a leading provider of IT security management solutions, announced today the launch of its first products for Microsoft XML .NET Web services. With bv-Control for Web Services(R) and bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services(R) Web administrators now have an effective way to help secure and manage Microsoft Internet Information Server (IIS), as well as Microsoft .NET Web Services. These new offerings are the latest additions to BindView's award-winning bv-Control and bv-Admin product lines, which help secure, automate and lower the costs of maintaining and managing IT infrastructures.

"The Microsoft Windows platform enables companies and organizations to truly harness the collaborative power of the Web," said Mike Culver, group program manager for the Developer Platform and Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp. "BindView's bv-Control and bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services products offer those companies the tools to help effectively manage and secure their Web services environments."

Web services greatly enhances an organization's ability to communicate and collaborate, however this interoperability exposes internal networks to access from the outside world. The bv-Control for Web Services solution helps secure not only Web servers but also the new infrastructure for delivering Web services applications. The bv-Control for Web Services solution also offers automated configuration management and protects Web servers from the inside by helping organizations assess, audit and secure their networks against known vulnerabilities, configuration errors and rogue servers. Additionally, the product helps Web BindView Announces First Products to Secure and Manage Web Services administrators to easily identify unauthorized changes to shared Web files, virtual directories and Web content - all while keeping pace with the latest Microsoft security bulletins.

Working in conjunction with bv-Control for Web Services, BindView's bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services product provides comprehensive role-based access control, one of the most effective means for developing and enforcing security policies over Web services. Unlike other delegation solutions, bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services is completely integrated with Microsoft .NET - it does not require additional agents, servers or the introduction of another abstraction layer to existing Microsoft .NET Web servers. Using the bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services solution, administrators can define who has access to individual Web services based on assigned user roles, thus preventing unauthorized access to applications delivered as Web services. BindView's Web services solution helps organizations save both time and money by creating a "portal" Web application that is both intuitive and comprehensive. This portal enables IT administrators to access a centralized view of network configurations and automate once-tedious system management processes.

Key features of bv-Control for Web Services include:

-- Analysis of virtual directories, files, shares and permissions: Customers can fully leverage their IIS servers and Windows-based platforms with security management tools that help save time and money while providing reporting and documentation capabilities.

-- Protection for the Web from the inside: BindView offers the ability to identify configuration errors, rogue servers and any inappropriate access control issues.

-- Protection for the Web from malicious outsiders: BindView solutions can quickly and easily identify unauthorized changes to shared Web files, virtual directories and Web content - all while keeping pace with the latest Microsoft security bulletins. Additionally, BindView enables administrators to pinpoint symptoms of dangerous viruses or worms within Microsoft .NET assemblies.

Key features of bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services include:

-- Role-based access control for Microsoft .NET Web Services: The use of roles to control access is the most effective means for developing and enforcing security policies over Web services and for streamlining the process of Web services security management.

-- Delegation to both users and administrators: Organizations can utilize BindView's flexible solution to handle Internet, Extranet or Intranet access control management of Web services.

-- Integration with Microsoft. NET- and Active Directory-enabled applications: Full integration with the Windows platform and environments helps ensure the highest level of service and management capabilities.

"Microsoft .NET Web services represent an emerging and advanced technology that is being increasingly embraced and adopted by today's leading organizations. While Web services offer these organizations the chance to foster collaboration and the sharing of resources among their business and partner networks, they also present the challenge of securing applications and data that are now located on the Web," said Eric Pulaski, CEO and founder of BindView. "Our new bv-Control and bv-Admin solutions are designed to provide organizations with a comprehensive security and management approach - enabling our customers to face these challenges and helping to ensure the security and integrity of their Web services applications and infrastructure."

"The move toward Web services marks a substantial shift in the way organizations do business, share information and manage their IT networks," said Ray Wagner, Research Director, Information Security Strategies, Gartner Inc. "Only the most secure and efficient Web services applications will yield the return on investment that Web services can deliver. To most effectively harness the power of Web services, organizations will need to employ technologies and processes that address the unique security challenges posed by this new computing environment."

Availability

BindView's bv-Control for Web Services and bv-Admin for Microsoft .NET Web Services solutions will be available later this quarter. The two products will be offered as one comprehensive solution set designed to manage and secure Microsoft .NET Web services. For pricing details, please contact BindView at [phone].

About BindView Corporation

BindView Corporation, the worldwide leader in providing host-based vulnerability assessment software, delivers proactive security management solutions to help safeguard computer systems and networks from security breaches before they occur. Unlike traditional approaches, the company's solutions work from the inside out to help protect business systems from both internal and external threats, thus reducing business risks. BindView's suite of cross-platform software and associated services help secure, automate and reduce the costs of managing information technology infrastructures. More than 20 million licenses of our solutions have been shipped worldwide to approximately 5,000 companies, including more than 80 of the Fortune 100 and 24 of the largest 25 U.S. banks. Contact BindView via e-mail at [e-mail] or visit BindView's World Wide Web Site at http://www.bindview.com. BindView can also be reached at [phone] or at [phone].

Editors Note: BindView(R), the BindView logo, and the BindView product names used in this document are trademarks of BindView Development Corporation, which may be registered in one or more jurisdictions. The names of products of other companies mentioned in this document, if any, may be the registered or unregistered trademarks of the owners of the products.