Expand Networks Takes Application Traffic Management to the Next Level.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

NetWorld+Interop 2004 Las Vegas 

ROSELAND, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2004

Expand Networks

New Modular Product Architecture Automates Application Response Times

Improvements, Provides Layer 7 Network Visibility and Delivers

Bandwidth Efficiency Out-of-the-Box

Expand Networks, a leading provider of Application Traffic Management systems, today announced that its new generation of Accelerator appliances (see today's related announcement "Expand Networks Unveils New Generation of ACCELERATOR Appliances" and "Expand Networks Introduces the Accelerator Server(TM) - Linux Server Software") will employ a unique plug-in architecture that improves response times of e-business and communications applications by 400+%, out-of-the-box. The application-centric approach automatically removes well-known network inefficiencies, minimizing the complex and painstaking tasks associated with policy setting of application traffic management solutions. The benefits of the Expand solutions accrue immediately - increased productivity from application performance, unprecedented visibility and control over network resources and most importantly, a 3 to 9 month ROI when compared to bandwidth upgrades. See Expand Networks at Networld+Interop on May 11-13 at Booth 2751-13.

Taking the Complexity out of Application Traffic Management

In a recent survey, 'The Shifting Branch Office Network Environment' conducted by Ashton Metzler and Associates, 69% of the respondents cited, 'complexity, time and overhead' as the primary obstacles in deploying a traffic management system. "Network managers of resource starved branch offices are naturally skeptical of testing complex network products that require on-going management to realize application performance gains," said Dr. Jim Metzler of Ashton, Metzler and Associates. "Traditional traffic management solutions require hands-on policy setting, which is complicated, time consuming and lends to corporate politics when decisions have to be made on who or which application gets more bandwidth."

Expand's new architecture automatically adapts to changes in traffic to maximize the performance of distributed enterprise applications. The breakthrough architecture accomplishes this through application plug-ins and by leveraging the company's leading next-generation compression algorithms to eliminate the initial system set-up thus providing for immediate application performance improvements while giving the administrator the flexibility and the tools to fine tune the traffic mix when needed.

Automated Application Acceleration

Expand's new application plug-ins will intuitively improve response times for some of the fastest growing applications in the enterprise such as Web-based and encrypted transactions. "With the emergence of multi-tier Web-based architectures, it is increasingly important for network managers to understand the relationship between the network and its impact on application performance," noted Lawrence Orans, Principal Analyst at Gartner.

New E-business Accelerator Plug-Ins

This group of plug-ins accelerate all Web-based applications including Web-based email, portals, ERP, CRM, and Web services.

-- HTTP - HTTP is the basis of all Web applications. The HTTP

acceleration plug-in eliminates chatty HTTP transactions and

repetitive downloads of large frequently accessed objects for

faster Web application response times.

-- HTTPS - HTTPS is the de-facto standard in end-to-end encrypted

applications. The HTTPS acceleration plug-in reduces bandwidth

consumption and accelerates encrypted traffic for faster

response times from secure application servers.

-- DNS - DNS is the basis of all applications for address

resolution. The DNS acceleration plug-in reduces DNS latency

and eliminates frequent DNS transactions for faster response

times.

New Communication Accelerator Plug-Ins

-- TCP - TCP is the basis for most data communication. The TCP

acceleration plug-in is based on NASA-developed SCPS protocol

(Space Communications Protocol Standards) and eliminates the

dramatic negative effects of network latency and packet loss

on TCP-based applications. The TCP acceleration plug-in

provides for faster transactions in small branch offices such

as opening e-mail attachments and network back-ups. The

plug-in also provides dramatic performance improvements over

satellite networks.

-- FTP - FTP is the basis for many file distribution

applications. The FTP acceleration plug-in eliminates long FTP

transactions by keeping local copies of frequently accessed

objects and it speeds up file transfers between computers such

as software development projects or anti-virus software

distribution.

Layer 7 Visibility and Control

In addition to providing out-of-the-box application performance increases, Expand's new Application Traffic Management architecture enables more granular alignment of network priorities with business goals through comprehensive Layer 7 application visibility for enterprise applications. Layer 7 visibility and control is an important complementary strategy to enable network managers to pinpoint application performance pain spots and correct them by stopping bandwidth abuse or slowing down non-critical applications.

"Application traffic management is becoming critical in controlling recurring bandwidth costs and application performance as more applications are being distributed over the WAN and are becoming Web-based," said Zohar Pearl, CEO of Expand Networks. "Expand's new architecture removes the complexity and provides enterprises with a flexible and extensible platform that can adapt easily to dynamic changes in their application environment."

Next-generation compression, all application accelerator plug-ins, and Layer 7 visibility and control are available with Expand's award winning Accelerator platforms.

About Expand Networks

Expand Networks is a leading provider of Application Traffic Management solutions and WAN acceleration appliances. The company's Accelerators take Application Traffic Management to the next level by employing a modular and intelligent application architecture that eliminates complexities associated with traditional traffic management solutions. The Accelerators automatically adapt to changes in traffic, remove WAN inefficiencies and maximize the performance of distributed enterprise applications. The Accelerators combine many unique features including next-generation WAN compression, application-specific acceleration, Layer 7 QoS and sophisticated monitoring and reporting. Expand has shipped over 20,000 Accelerator devices to more than 1,000 customers including Motorola, Continental Airlines and the United States Department of Defense. Expand Networks is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey with offices in Australia, Israel, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.expand.com or call [phone].

Expand Networks, Accelerator System 9000, Accelerator Server, Accelerator 6800 Series, Accelerator 4800 Series, Accelerator 4000 Series, Accelerator 1800 Series, HTTPS Accelerator Series and ExpandView are trademarks of Expand Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.