Uplogix Challenges Console-Server Technology; Announces Availability of Enterprise Edge Management Solution.

NEW YORK -- Envoy Network Resource Manager 3.0 Delivers Active Management With A New Modular Chassis, Robust Server Support, and the Ability to Ensure QoS for IP Telephony 

Uplogix, the leading provider of enterprise edge management solutions, today announced the release of the Envoy Network Resource Manager (NRM) version 3.0. Envoy is an intelligent, out-of-band network appliance that offers an active, secure, and affordable approach to managing devices on the edge of the network - whether located remotely or bridging boundaries between networks in a large, distributed environment. By automating network support, maintenance, and recovery tasks, Envoy significantly lowers operational costs and reduces mean-time-to-recover from hours to minutes.

Today's enterprise networks are more distributed and more complex than ever before. Many factors contribute to this complexity and the resulting management challenges, including the push to put more technologies and applications on the network and the need to deliver high performance access to an increasingly dispersed workforce. The latest Envoy solution delivers comprehensive management capabilities for network devices and servers to help customers overcome these challenges.

Amperion, a manufacturer of networking equipment, uses existing power lines to offer data, voice, and power line monitoring to a global customer base, presenting unique network management hurdles. According to John Krumenacker, field network engineer of international markets for Amperion, "Uplogix Envoys serve a two-fold purpose for us. They allow us to control and monitor our network devices and also automatically diagnose and resolve issues with connectivity to the Internet. We rely on these active management capabilities worldwide to provide automation that is accurate, uniform, and customizable."

Active Management Creates New Standard for Uptime

Leveraging an intelligent, out-of-band architecture, Envoy offers an active approach to edge management that performs continuously, regardless of the state of the network. Prior to Uplogix' entry into the marketplace, customers had to accept the limited capabilities of console servers simply to ensure that they could access remote devices when the network was down. Primarily focused on connectivity, console servers cannot deliver the functionality that customers need to actively manage datacenters and remote environments.

Uplogix' core appliance technology, combined with a series of modules designed to meet specific enterprise needs, delivers the active management enterprises require to effectively manage critical network infrastructure. By deploying Envoy, enterprises can improve network uptime and lower the time and costs associated with managing edge devices.

New features in the Envoy 3.0 release include:

--Updated Hardware Platform: a modular chassis that delivers scalability and extensibility by enabling customers to add ports, modem types, and power options as necessary, over the lifetime of the Envoy

--Enhanced Server Support: added driver support for leading server technologies, such as UNIX, Linux and Windows 2003, as well as session control to prevent unauthorized access

--IP Telephony Management: active management and monitoring of Quality of Service for IP Telephony implementations to maintain a consistent, high-level of performance

"IT staffs spend 34% of their time troubleshooting problems at remote sites, and at the same time, the number of branch offices is growing by 8.9% annually. Considering IT staffs aren't growing at the same pace, it's challenging for them to manage devices, applications, and compliance requirements," says Robin Gareiss, executive vice president of Nemertes Research. "It's vital for organizations to adopt technologies that improve performance and reliability, while reducing the time and expense associated with managing remote offices. Uplogix products address these concerns in a single appliance."

Secure Management Prevents Breaches and Ensures Compliance

Envoy conducts all management activities in the most secure fashion, preventing security breaches that could result from compromised management data and ensuring that authorization and authentication policies are enforced at all times, even when the network is down. Data is collected serially, providing in-depth insight into the health of devices and overcoming security concerns surrounding SNMP. Additionally, Envoy logs and reports on all user interactions with network devices and servers to ensure compliance with federal regulations and to prevent audit failures.

"Uplogix strives to deliver the edge management functionality that our customers are hungry for," said Barry Cox, chief executive officer of Uplogix. "Our proven innovation continues to answer a market need for products that deliver both intelligence and the ability to automatically take action at the edge, thereby increasing network uptime and significantly cutting costs."

Product Family

Uplogix offers the Envoy Network Resource Manager (NRM), an intelligent out-of-band network management appliance and the Network Resource Management Server (NRMS), a centralized interface that provides a single point of control for all Envoys and network devices and servers under management. Additionally, Uplogix offers the Service Level Verification (SLV) management module, which provides the capability to monitor and measure network and application performance from the end-user perspective. The SLV module now includes VoIP capabilities to assist enterprises in managing Quality of Service for IP Telephony (IPT).

Availability & Pricing

Envoy 3.0 product family is available immediately for purchase. Appliance pricing begins at $2,800. To see a live demo of the Envoy 3.0 product family, please visit Uplogix at Interop in New York, September 19 - 21 in Booth #737.

About Uplogix

Uplogix provides enterprise edge management solutions for organizations seeking to reduce the cost and complexity of managing their networks. Uplogix' solutions dramatically increase network uptime, lower network support costs and improve network management security. Uplogix is privately held and headquartered in Austin, Texas. For more information please visit http://www.uplogix.com.