Cisco to Use Inverse IP InSight to Meet Service-level Agreements On Its Enterprise Dial-up Network.

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 24, 1999--

Inverse Network Technology Inc. announced today that Cisco Systems, the worldwide leader in networking for the Internet, will use the Inverse IP InSight service-level management system to measure and improve the reliability of its own enterprise dial-in network for remotely located employees.

IP InSight will enable Cisco to pinpoint problems that cause dial-in users -- those who work in remote offices, telecommute from their homes or call in from hotels during business trips -- to endure delays or fail to connect to the company's headquarters network. Cisco is deploying IP InSight software to the desktop and laptop computers of more than 5,000 employees who regularly dial into the Cisco network; the deployment follows the successful completion of a pilot test conducted among a group of Cisco users.

Cisco is the first major corporate enterprise to license IP InSight, which previously has been deployed by major service providers including AT&T Global Network Services (IBM Global Network), Concentric Network, EarthLink Network, MindSpring Enterprises and Prodigy. IP InSight is the first service-level management system that gives service providers and enterprises the tools required to manage public IP services from the perspective of an end user.

Alan Etterman, Cisco's director of Enterprise Network Systems, said, "Even if our dial-up network is running at a 97 percent connection success rate, we want to figure out how to bring that rate up to 99.99 percent. But when a user calls our help desk and says he's getting a busy signal or no dial tone, it's virtually impossible to tell where the problem lies: with the modem, the authentication procedure, trunk-line quality, carrier capacity, even the user's PC. With IP InSight performing a captive audit on every dial transaction, we can go right to the files maintained on Inverse's web site, find out exactly where the problem is and fix it."

IP InSight is a client-server application with three components. The IP InSight Client, distributed to end-user systems, logs detailed information on users' connections, including failed attempts, error codes, connection speeds, number of redials and key user profile data such as time, POP number and modem type. IP InSight Collectors, deployed on servers at key points across the network, receive the data from the Clients and pass it on to the IP InSight Data Repository, a central relational database which aggregates, sorts and stores it in real time. The database is continuously accessible to customers via a secure Web interface to Inverse's Web site.

Inverse Network Technology is the leading provider of software solutions and measurement services that allow service providers and their business customers to measure service quality for applications such as remote access outsourcing, virtual private networks (VPNs) and electronic commerce. Inverse helps ISPs and corporations enhance performance and reliability and improve customer satisfaction of their IP network and application services.

Founded in 1996, the company is located in Sunnyvale, Calif. For more information, call 408-616-6200 or visit the Inverse Web site at http://www.inversenet.com.