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DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY / JUNE 23, 2003: VOL. 2 NO. 25

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Breaking News - Security:

TidalWire Expands Distribution To Include Info Security

TidalWire, the distribution arm of Network Engines, announced recently that it has broadened its distribution capabilities to address the growing enterprise requirements for information security products in networked storage environments. The expanded role allows TidalWire to leverage its position as a leading distributor of storage networking solutions to provide a greater range of products that address the mission-critical needs of enterprise data systems and provide protection against the potential consequences of storage security failures.

TidalWire has also launched a security portal Web presence to address technical and market issues. The portal, located at http://www.tidalwire.com , provides topical industry information and is available to all users, including TidalWire's customer base of over 500 value-added resellers and systems integrators. TidalWire will also continue to host the Storage Connection, a top destination for enterprise storage professionals with articles and white papers from industry-recognized writers and links to the latest news in the storage industry and technology.

"A key component driving growth in the security market is the need to protect enterprise data against unauthorized access, alteration, theft or misuse," said John Curtis, president and CEO of Network Engines. "We believe there will be a continuing strong demand for security products as many organizations seek to solve enterprise security problems, particularly those involving the risk of sharing, distributing and replicating data in a networked environment."

Recent Federal legislation has resulted in many organizations upgrading their IT security and storage capabilities. The Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rules 17a-3 and 4 require financial firms to retain all records, including e-mails and instant messages, in some cases up to 6 years. The Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA) legislation requires that any health care organization generating, transmitting or storing personally identifiable information (PII) to protect it from unauthorized access. The Sarbanes-Oxley bill requires public accounting firms to prepare and maintain audit work papers and other information related to any audit report for a period of not less than 7 years.

As the distribution arm of Network Engines, TidalWire will also leverage the appliance development and manufacturing capabilities of its parent company. Network Engines already supplies appliance development services to a number of security vendors. In addition to appliance development, engineering and manufacturing, security vendors can now deal with one company to both develop and distribute their solution on a self-contained server platform.

"This is a natural migration of the TidalWire organization as we strive to help our customers solve their storage security needs," said Jeff Brandes, vice president and general manager of TidalWire distribution operations at Network Engines. "As networked storage systems expand throughout the enterprise, data becomes more susceptible to security attacks and unauthorized usage. Companies are more at risk. We seek to supply solutions that mitigate their exposure, while allowing them to continue to securely share, distribute and replicate data."

Because TidalWire distributes only security and storage networking products, it is able to offer specialized services to its customer base of value-added resellers and systems integrators. As a specialty distributor, TidalWire has demonstrated that technical expertise in pre-sales and post-sales support is a critical requirement for integrators and resellers adopting new technologies and products. These services go beyond the typical distributor model, and include extensive marketing programs, consultative sales support, technical support, an Internet portal with established membership and an ordering and logistics infrastructure that ensures quick response and delivery.

ServGate Technologies, a provider of high-performance, modular security gateways, is one company that has partnered with TidalWire to distribute its line of security appliances. "TidalWire was a natural choice to distribute our network security appliances because of their highly trained sales and support teams, an elaborate electronic logistics infrastructure and close relationships with hundreds of leading reseller and integration partners," said Dirk Christiansen, vice president of marketing for ServGate. "We are pleased with the success of the relationship as we continue to meet or exceed our mutual customers' expectations."

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