U.S. GOVERNMENT'S NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION SELECTS NETSEC TO MEET FEDERAL SECURITY REQUIREMENTS.

NETSEC, a global provider of managed information security services, has been awarded a multi-year contract to provide its services to the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. government agency responsible for promoting research and education projects in science and engineering. NSF's investments total more than $3.3 billion per year in almost 20,000 research and education projects. NETSEC's experience in the federal sector will assist NSF in their federal information technology compliance efforts.

Under this contract, NSF will be utilizing NETSEC's Network Security Operations Center and Government Services Group to provide remote 24x7x365 management and monitoring of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), internal vulnerability assessments and on-going analysis, integration and implementation of security products. NETSEC's services will assist NSF in meeting the security requirements established by Presidential Decision Directives (PDD) 63 and 67, Public Law 100-235 (Computer Security Act of 1987), and OMB Circulars A-130 Appendix III, A-123 and A-127.

"As a U.S. government agency, we must maintain network standards, including security, as the federal government mandates them," said Dara Murray, ADP security officer at NSF. "NETSEC's MSS offering enables us to meet our security requirements in an efficient and timely manner."

"The addition of the National Science Foundation to our client base furthers our advancement in the federal market space," said Ken Ammon, CEO of NETSEC. "Our long standing history of providing managed security services to government agencies has created a reputation for us as a leader within that space. We are confident that our comprehensive security services will meet their federal regulated standards."

NSF awards over $200 million in professional and service contracts each year, including logistics support for polar research programs, ocean drilling projects, information systems support, special studies and analyses and a host of smaller service support activities. NSF spends several hundred thousand dollars on its security systems specifically on firewall, remote secure id, IDS vulnerability assessment and penetration testing.