Current Network Protocol-based Firewalls and Routers Not Adequate to Handle XML Content says ZapThink; New Market for XML Proxies Emerging.

Business/Technology Editors

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 2002

Current firewall, proxy, and switch solutions are wholly inadequate to intelligently process XML content, according to a report released today by ZapThink, LLC, an XML and Web Services-focused industry analyst group. Increasingly organizations are seeking to find solutions that can monitor XML traffic on the network and apply business rules and corporate IT policies such as security, routing, performance, management, transformation, or end-point connection provisioning. ZapThink identifies this new category of solutions in its "XML Proxies: XML-aware Network Appliances and Firewalls" report.

"There is an increasing need to manage increased volume of XML network traffic, establish a consistent XML usage policy, and increase the value of the XML and Web Services on the network, but current firewall and router solutions can't fill these needs," said Ronald Schmelzer, senior analyst at ZapThink. "XML Proxies are able to understand not only network protocols, but also the XML-based content traveling on these protocols."

Other key findings of the report include:

- ZapThink estimates that XML represents less than 2% of all traffic on the enterprise network in 2002; however, this percentage is expected to increase to almost 25% of all network traffic by 2006.

- XML Proxies will converge on a single set of functionality for handling corporate-wide XML security, management, routing, transformation, and performance enhancement.

- As XML Proxy solutions become increasingly visible in the corporate IT environment, established network device vendors will enter the market.

The ZapThink report explores the current challenges for processing XML network traffic, defines the XML Proxy market, examines current hardware and software solutions, explores the drivers and barriers for XML Proxy adoption, and forecasts future trends for XML Proxy market growth. An executive summary of the report and purchasing information is available at the ZapThink web site (www.zapthink.com).

The report features several vendors, including 3Com (NASDAQ: COMS), Actional, Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO), Contivo, DataPower, Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), Flamenco Networks, Forum Systems, Nortel (NYSE: NT), Primordial, Reactivity, Sarvega, Vordel, Westbridge Technology, and XML Global (OTCBB: XMLG).

About ZapThink, LLC

Founded in October 2000, ZapThink, LLC (http://www.zapthink.com) is an industry research and analysis firm that provides quality, high-value, focused research, analysis, and insight on emerging technologies that will have a high impact on the way business will be run in the future. ZapThink focuses on XML and Web Services technologies that provide open, standards-based, loosely-coupled systems and represent an evolutionary advancement in computing and business. ZapThink is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts. Its customers include Global 1000 firms and emerging businesses.