CloudShield Introduces VoIP Traffic Analysis Service for Service Providers; New Service Designed to Help Service Providers Optimize the Subscriber Experience by Providing Visibility and Management of VoIP Traffic on Their Networks.

SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- CloudShield(R) Technologies, Inc., the leader in programmable deep packet inspection platforms for security, VoIP, and traffic management applications, today announced a new traffic analysis service designed to help service providers understand and manage all VoIP traffic traversing their networks. The service offering, CloudSentry VoIP Services Assessment (CloudSentry VSA), enables service providers to optimize the VoIP user experience by providing comprehensive VoIP traffic analysis including a VoIP services assessment, VoIP infrastructure vulnerabilities and intrusion detection, and VoIP lawful intercept capabilities.

VoIP is poised for rapid growth. UK-based broadband communications researcher Point Topic recently estimated that in the nine months ending in March 2005, VoIP users more than doubled to reach 11 million worldwide. A major US-based IXC recently reported 17 percent quarter-over-quarter growth in the number of VoIP minutes they carried. And, in a report from Merrill Lynch released last month, VoIP system sales were shown to grow 31 percent year-over-year, while sales of legacy voice systems declined 20 percent over the same period. With VoIP users, traffic, and systems sales all increasing rapidly, service providers need to take steps to understand the impact of VoIP on their networks, and employ control mechanisms to manage the VoIP user experience and ensure they can capitalize on the growth as much as possible.

"Carriers are only seeing part of the VoIP traffic picture. Tracking call volumes, top users, QoS settings, and others for VoIP services traversing their networks, including services not provided by them, has been beyond the reach of network traffic monitoring infrastructures," said Vikash Varma, CloudShield vice president of worldwide sales and marketing. "CloudSentry VoIP Services Assessment unlocks these mysteries and provides the service provider with critical network intelligence to better optimize their customer experiences and maximize their network assets."

A three-phase service engagement, the CloudSentry VoIP Services Assessment is designed to deliver valuable intelligence to service providers in a short period of time, and with minimum disruption and cost. The key service deliverable is the Services Findings Report which organizes and analyzes network traffic data to provide insights into the following VoIP traffic areas:

--VoIP services assessment through careful real-time DPI analysis of network traffic. Utilizing the CloudShield CS-2000 In-Network Computing(TM) platform, the CloudSentry VSA classifies all accessible service provider VoIP traffic to thoroughly profile existing voice services. With non-sampling resolution, customers receive detailed service identification for all VoIP traffic, network utilization and voice protocol distribution analysis, end-user usage patterns, and top user reports. CloudSentry VSA includes collection and analysis of traffic from the service provider network, and delivers a structured report together on current VoIP traffic condition, with recommendations on how the service provider can improve the VoIP user's experience.

--VoIP infrastructure vulnerabilities and intrusion detection to reveal the challenges VoIP services pose for service providers as voice and data worlds converge. CloudSentry VSA monitors a comprehensive set of VoIP service infrastructure attacks to report on denial of service attempts, voice protocol compliance violations, and behavioral anomalies that are outside the capabilities of most intrusion prevention systems deployed today on service provider networks. The resulting report provides extensive information on how service provider can improve the security of their VoIP traffic.

--VoIP Lawful Intercept capabilities through the monitoring and reporting of Call Identification Information (CII). CloudSentry VSA reports call source and destination information including phone number, IP Address, or login name. CloudSentry VSA also reports time and duration of calls for the service provider's own VoIP traffic services as well as for the non-facilities VoIP services traversing the network. This information enables service providers to meet obligations for lawful interception of VoIP traffic.

CloudSentry VSA will be available from CloudShield and select CloudShield partners beginning in January 2006. Service pricing will start at $40,000 per engagement.

About CloudShield

CloudShield is a provider of multi-gigabit, multi-function, programmable, deep packet inspection platforms targeted at large network operators. The company's unique capabilities allow existing content inspection, monitoring, and security applications to be performed at true gigabit speeds on even small packet sizes, and enables entirely new classes of applications and revenue generating services. The CloudShield platform can inspect, process, and modify packets at multi-gigabit speeds without introducing noticeable latency. Through its application partners, CloudShield has helped deliver solutions to carriers in North America, Europe and Asia as well as several important federal government customers. More information about CloudShield can be found at www.cloudshield.com.