Protegrity's Network Security Solution is First to Protect Databases at Smallest Data-Element Level While Securing Enterprises at Highest Level.

STAMFORD, CONN.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 12, 1997--

New Technology Protects Mission-Critical Data Across an Entire

Enterprise; Also Role-based, Single Point of Control, Open

Protegrity, Inc. announced today a security technology which, for the first time, offers businesses of any size a cost-effective and reliable solution for protecting sensitive information stored in databases, exchanged during online transactions or transmitted via the Internet, intranet or extranet. The new security technology combines established security techniques with Protegrity's proprietary software to make breaches in security nearly impossible.

Protegrity's new Data-Element Wrapper(TM) is an entirely new approach to securing information by wrapping a layer of security around each sensitive data item, rather than protecting an entire database in "bulk." The wrapper follows its unit of data wherever it goes ensuring the highest level of security in the database or in transport. The Data-Element Wrapper dramatically extends the protection of firewalls, by securing what hackers and thieves are ultimately after -- information, not the hardware or the systems. By securing data at the most finite level, users can also safeguard other business operations that involve moving and accessing data such as data mining, decision support and virtual workgroup computing.

"We bring the highest security to its lowest level," explained Bjorn Wissen (pronounced vee-seen), Protegrity's chairman and president. "In other words, we provide the highest level of security for the most finite or granular of information elements, the data item. Even the most secure RACF environments can benefit from an extended level of security both inside and outside the company walls. It's mission-critical security for mission-critical data."

Many security systems are designed to protect large groups of data, which presents the primary problem in data security. Once past the initial layer of security -- the front door -- data thieves can gain access to large warehouses of information. However, using Protegrity, encryption is extended to each individual piece of data forcing a hacker to break the unique code for each piece of data. Moreover, each unit of data can be re-encrypted on a regular basis or when a user deems it necessary. With constantly changing encryption, the security codes around a data item become increasingly more difficult to breach.

Simple Operation

A worldwide enterprise employing Internet and intranet, LANs and diverse platforms can all be easily managed from a single console with Protegrity's simple graphical user interface. The system is designed to be handled by company MIS or security management or business personnel and requires minimal computer knowledge to operate. Because data security issues are more often handled by non-technical personnel, it is becoming increasingly important to be able to implement and manage security solutions through user-friendly control systems. The control center for the Protegrity solution, known as the Information Asset Manager (IAM), has an easy-to-use graphical user interface that lets users make changes with drag-and-drop simplicity.

"Our research shows that security management is a critical issue due to a lack of specialized security staff and a requirement for consistent procedures," added Jim Hurley, an analyst with the Aberdeen Group. "Protegrity's solutions promise to provide business managers the tools for managing the risks of integrating suppliers, partners and customers online."

Role-Based, Modular Environment

Protegrity uses role-based operation, allowing companies to select what roles, and which employees, should have access to each piece of information. Roles are defined by the employees position, the department and other factors that are defined as having purposeful and rightful access to information.

Because Protegrity's security is at the data level, roles can be associated with as finite an element as a data item. However, companies may choose to associate roles with larger chunks of data or even an entire data set.

Performance in the Database Transaction Environment

The Protegrity security solution is flexible, allowing customers to choose the level of security they desire -- at the data item level, row level or an entire database depending on the nature of information. Only the proprietary information is protected, something impossible to achieve with a firewall or bulk protection method. By minimizing the information that is secured and thus the number of encryption-decoding processes, the opportunity to maintain database transaction performance is significantly enhanced.

Data Mining Through Protegrity

The Protegrity security solution enables companies to mine for consumer patterns, trends and habits without infringing on individual privacy. Many companies seek to derive business-critical information from databases for use in sales and marketing, but governments around the world are restricting the use of information systems that identify individual characteristics or habits such as ethnicity, buying patterns and product preferences. Protegrity's unique solution physically separates identifying data from descriptive information, giving businesses valuable customer insight while enabling them to comply with legal regulations.

Wide Variety of System Support

Protegrity supports different authentication methods including Passwords, Security Diskettes, PC Cards and Smart Cards. Customers can choose different encryption algorithms such as DES, RSA or CDMF. Protegrity can also be implemented across the most common technical platforms: MVS, OS/2, DOS, Windows 3.1, Windows NT, UNIX and OS/400 and integrated with legacy systems, as well as with IMS DB, DB2 and other popular DBMS's. For further information about integration or installation of the Protegrity solution, interested parties may call Protegrity directly at [phone].

About Protegrity

Protegrity, Inc. is an information security technology firm established to provide cost-effective, enterprise-wide security solutions. Protegrity was founded in 1996, and shortly thereafter acquired the rights to the proprietary database security system technology developed by the Swedish-based company, Anonymity Protection in Sweden (APS). The technology has since been patented in 27 countries. Headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut, Protegrity has offices in London, England and Gothenburg, Sweden. More information about Protegrity can be found at the company's Web site at www.protegrity.com.

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Technology Solutions, Inc.

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