Businesses Reduce Risks and Cut Costs Amid Uncertain Times; United Armored Services Selects OpenReach to Protect Its Business Networks.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

WOBURN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 28, 2003

The troubled U.S. economy and uncertain world climate has led business executives to take measures to lower their risks and protect their companies. With so many corporations struggling to regain profitability, business executives have become acutely concerned with the health of their vendors and suppliers. Of particular concern is the stability of telecommunications carriers, whose networks play a vital role in supporting today's information technology-driven market. In recent years, many telecom carriers have been forced into bankruptcy, leaving businesses vulnerable to costly network downtime, service performance degradation, and even sudden shutdown. Such an event can cost companies up to $96,632 per hour in lost revenue and productivity. (Source: Infonetics Research)

To ensure business continuity amid uncertain times United Armored Services (UAS) has selected OpenReach to provide a secure and reliable IP-based virtual private networking (IP VPN) service. The OpenReach service uses the ubiquity of the Internet to eliminate dependence on a single telecommunications carrier, in essence diversifying a company's "carrier portfolio." In addition, OpenReach services enable companies like UAS to realize:

-- Flexibility to change carriers without affecting operation of

the business network

-- End-to-end data security to protect against financial and

trade secret theft

-- Increased bandwidth for equal or lower costs than previous

networking services

-- 24x7 network management and monitoring that lessens burden on

small IT staffs

"Business continuity is no longer about running a backup network; it's about true risk mitigation at every level of business operations. Smart companies like UAS are taking business continuity seriously at the executive level to ensure that all aspects of the company, not just the data network, are protected," said Michael Suby, senior research analyst with Stratecast Partners, a division of Frost & Sullivan. "Next-generation service providers like OpenReach help companies ensure that business connections--including those with partners and customers--are secure and reliable."

United Armored Services Reduces Business Risks

UAS is the largest armored car company in the Midwest and the sixth largest in the nation. UAS President Robin Miles continually seeks ways to reduce his company's risks, which not only ensures safety for his employees and customers, but also helps to lower costly insurance premiums - the company's largest operating expense.

UAS selected OpenReach to replace its outdated 64Kbps frame relay network to support new applications like video surveillance of out-of-state facilities and secure remote printing of route schedules, as well as to provide better performance and easier maintenance of existing network services at UAS branch offices. With OpenReach IP VPN Services, UAS benefits from better price per kilobit, fast deployment of new applications, and minimal oversight required by UAS's small IT staff.

"By replacing frame relay with an IP VPN from OpenReach, I increased network performance 250% without increasing my costs, and that's important as we deploy new applications that increase the safety of my facilities," said Robin Miles, president of United Armored Services. "Plus, with OpenReach, there's one less thing my IT guys need to worry about. OpenReach monitors our network 24x7, and that's important because our business is a 24-hour operation."

About OpenReach, Inc.

OpenReach provides award-winning IP VPN services for building secure, reliable enterprise networks over any IP transport. Advanced features unique to OpenReach Services overcome the common challenges of connecting dissimilar networks and automate most operations and maintenance functions, saving valuable IT-staff time. Named 2003 Product of the Year by Network Magazine, OpenReach services combine always-on IP transport that is independent of the primary WAN, end-to-end security using encryption and digital certificates and real-time global monitoring of the IP and primary WAN connections. Founded in 1999 by former Bell Labs engineers and with 10 patents pending, OpenReach serves 500 customers in 43 countries. The company achieved 250% revenue growth in 2002. Learn more about OpenReach at http://www.openreach.com.