NetScreen Adds Best-of-Breed Antivirus Functionality To Its Network Security Appliance For Remote Offices and Telecommuters

NetScreen Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NSCN) has announced availability of the NetScreen-5GT appliance with embedded antivirus functionality, the industry’s first appliance to tightly integrate best-of-breed firewall, virtual private network (VPN), intrusion prevention and gateway antivirus security functionality in a single platform.

Availability of the NetScreen-5GT appliance with integrated antivirus functionality is the direct result of NetScreen and Trend Micro’s (TSE: 4707; Nasdaq: TMIC) recently expanded relationship (see related press release issued May 21, 2003: “NetScreen and Trend Micro to Drive Tighter Integration of Network Security Solutions”).

The NetScreen-5GT, an integrated security appliance for enterprise remote sites and telecommuters, is the culmination of a development effort between the two companies that has focused on delivering Trend Micro’s antivirus technology coupled with the robust security and networking capabilities of NetScreen’s solutions.

“The availability of Trend Micro’s antivirus functionality embedded into NetScreen’s integrated firewall and VPN appliance demonstrates the two companies have effectively executed on this joint development relationship,” said Robert Thomas, president and CEO of NetScreen. “Further, it brings tremendous value to our customers, especially those with highly distributed networks and limited IT resources, where integrated security platforms such as the NetScreen-5GT can help significantly increase security while minimizing operating costs.”

The NetScreen-5GT

The new NetScreen-5GT appliance with embedded antivirus protects against the entry of viruses, worms and other network- and application-level attacks to help enterprise customers effectively secure remote sites, branch offices and telecommuters. The NetScreen-5GT also can enable carriers and managed security service providers to offer additional services for enterprise customers of all sizes, without having to add more equipment at the customer’s site.

The antivirus capabilities on the NetScreen-5GT appliance are enabled by the most recent version of the underlying operating system for NetScreen’s integrated devices, ScreenOS version 5.0, which includes NetScreen’s Deep Inspection and stateful inspection firewall and IPSec VPN capabilities. The NetScreen-5GT with ScreenOS version 5.0 has the ability to stop virus outbreaks, including blended attacks, at the corporate gateway before they reach corporate users’ desktops.

Additional features also available in ScreenOS version 5.0 will enable antivirus protection on higher-end NetScreen appliances via Trend Micro’s Content Scanning Protocol (CSP), which facilitates redirection of relevant traffic by NetScreen devices to the appropriate Trend Micro device for content scanning.

Unlike competitors’ products that may rely upon often outdated and incomplete publicly available lists of virus signature files, NetScreen is leveraging the expertise of Trend Micro’s worldwide team of more than 250 antivirus engineers and specialists, who are often the first in the industry to produce virus pattern file updates and provide customers the most up-to-date antivirus protection.

The NetScreen-5GT can be configured and managed by NetScreen’s central management platform called NetScreen-Security Manager 2004, planned to be available in December 2003. This centralized policy management can facilitate rapid deployment of virus updates, help minimize the introduction of network security vulnerabilities often introduced by end users’ abilities to change policies and/or disregard virus updates, and simplify maintenance and management of a distributed enterprise’s security posture overall.

With ScreenOS version 5.0, the NetScreen-5GT, like other NetScreen appliances, offers a unique combination of security functionality and enterprise-class networking capabilities, such as support for dynamic routing protocols RIP 2, BGP and OSPF, as well as intelligent fail-over features, like dial backup, for connection redundancy and resiliency, which make the product ideal for large distributed enterprise network environments.

Availability

ScreenOS version 5.0 for the NetScreen-5GT platform is expected to be available in late November 2003. To enable the antivirus functionality on existing NetScreen-5GT appliances, customers with a current NetScreen support contract will have free access to a ScreenOS version 5.0 upgrade. To receive antivirus scanning and pattern file updates, an antivirus subscription must be purchased. The antivirus subscription is available bundled with a new NetScreen-5GT or as an upgrade for previously purchased NetScreen-5GT devices.

Ends.

About NetScreen Technologies

NetScreen Technologies, Inc., is a leading developer of integrated network security solutions that offer the security, performance and total cost of ownership required by enterprises and carriers.

NetScreen’s innovative solutions provide key security technologies, such as virtual private networks, denial of service protection, firewall and intrusion prevention in a line of easy-to-manage security appliances and systems. More information on NetScreen’s products can be found at http://www.netscreen.com or by calling toll free at 1-800-638-8296.

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NetScreen and the NetScreen logo are trademarks of NetScreen Technologies, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Trend Micro is a trademark or registered trademark of Trend Micro Incorporated. Other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. This press release contains forward-looking statements about events and circumstances that have not yet occurred. For example, words such as “will”, “expects”, “can”, “allowing”, “believes”, “continue” and “continuing”, or other statements in the future tense, are forward-looking statements. Actual outcomes and results may differ materially from expectations in this press release due to a number of risks and uncertainties. Such risks and uncertainties include whether the market for security products will grow as projected, if at all, whether demand for NetScreen products will continue, whether new products, if and when introduced, will be successful and whether products will perform as expected.