Stac's new ReachOut 5.0 sets new standard for remote access; new release provides remote control, remote file transfer and remote node together for first time.

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 10, 1995--Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC), Monday announced ReachOut 5.0, the first complete remote access software solution.

The new product combines remote control, remote file transfer and remote node, features that were previously available only as separate products. Stac will be previewing the ReachOut 5.0 technology at Spring Comdex in Atlanta.

"Remote access users today are really looking for a way to retrieve their e-mail, run applications on their remote office PCs and grab files," said John Bromhead, Stac vice president of marketing. "These users demand a high level of performance, reliability, ease of use and security and ReachOut 5.0 delivers just that."

ReachOut has been optimized for performance through incorporation of Stac's own Stac LZS(TM) compression. Benchmarks show ReachOut 5.0 to be as much as 42 percent faster than Symantec's pcAnywhere 2.0 for Windows when running popular applications such as Microsoft Powerpoint, Excel, Word and Mail, Lotus Notes and 1-2-3.

File transfers have also been significantly enhanced. ReachOut 5.0 can transfer some files in less than half the time of Traveling Software's Laplink 1.0 for Windows. Stac's new SmartSend technology determines, and sends only those portions of a file that have changed, dramatically reducing the time to transfer files. Users can also now automatically synchronize two machines using ReachOut's new RapidSync option.

The adoption of Stac LZS in ReachOut, a native Windows application now in its fifth generation, also improves the product's reliability, which the industry recognized with more than a dozen awards in 1994.

Users no longer need to run a DOS batch file before using ReachOut under Windows. And now, once installed with the help of the SetupPilot(TM), full context sensitive help is available for all operations.

Stac has also paid close attention to security by incorporating individual security profiles with automatic aging of passwords. Would-be hackers will have a hard job cracking the new security of Stac's IntruderGuard, which constantly monitors for attempted unauthorized access and will shut out a user's account, and if necessary shut down the host machine being used to enter the network.

ReachOut 5.0 combines support for modems and a wide variety of networks -- including remote node software -- all in a single package. Remote node software supported includes ShivaPPP, Microsoft RAS and Novell NetWare Connect. ISDN links and LANs such as Novell NetWare, Banyan Vines, Microsoft Windows for Workgroups, Microsoft LAN Manager, Microsoft NT Server, IBM LAN Server, Artisoft Lantastic and any 100 percent compatible NetBIOS, NETBEUI, IPX/SPX or Winsock TCP/IP network are also supported by ReachOut 5.0.

The Market

The demand to be remotely connected to the office PC and network is being fueled by the dramatic increase in home and mobile PC sales. According to International Data Corporation, U.S. sales of PCs into the home will reach 9.5 million units this year. Of the current installed base of home PCs, 52 percent have a modem. IDC also reports that sales of IBM PC compatible portables have exceeded 8 million systems per year, and by 1998 expect 23 million portables to be sold annually.

Not surprisingly IDC reports that 67 percent of the people considering remote access software need access to their office PC and networks after hours to complete their work from home. Another 56 percent of those people surveyed want access when traveling on business, and 39 percent want to telecommute -- work from home during normal business hours.

"When we looked at the market, we saw that users were forced to use multiple applications to effectively access, control or transfer data," said Scott Broder, ReachOut product manager. "ReachOut combines these important features and adds remote node technology, making it the first product that addresses all remote needs. We think of ReachOut as the first all purpose OFF-LAN vehicle."

Price and Availability

ReachOut 5.0 for DOS, Windows and Windows 95 will be available within 90 days for an expected retail price of less than $100.

Stac

Stac's products help you manage, access and protect your information assets. Founded in 1983, Stac's products are sold through retail, VAR, corporate and OEM distribution channels worldwide. -0-

Note to Editors: Stac and ReachOut are trademarks or registered trademarks of Stac Electronics. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

CONTACT: Stac Electronics, San Diego

John Bromhead, 619/794-4311

or

GCI Jennings

Greg Peverill-Conti, 415/974-6200