DAILY NEWS AND INFORMATION FOR THE GLOBAL GRID COMMUNITY /    ( Table of Contents )

Breaking News - Networking:

VIA NET.WORKS Wins Key Customers For New Managed VPN Services

VIA NET.WORKS Inc, a leading provider of business communications solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), announced four new and upgraded network installations for key customers based on its extended portfolio of Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) solutions.

Recent IP VPN network implementations and upgrades include:

• Retail Segment

  • MIDAS International Corporation -- France

    VIA NET.WORKS is working in partnership with MIDAS, one of the largest providers of automotive service, to implement a DSL VPN solution to connect its 300 franchised outlets and office sites throughout France following the successful completion of a 60-site pilot project. The result is an innovative and cost-effective network infrastructure, enabling all MIDAS employees and franchisees to gain secure access to MIDAS' central business systems and Internet services.

  • City Centre Restaurants -- United Kingdom

    VIA NET.WORKS is enabling City Centre Restaurants (UK) Ltd to cost- effectively connect its London headquarters with four regional offices and mobile workers through a secure, managed Internet VPN. City Centre Restaurants, with its well-known brands Caffe Uno, Chiquito's, Est Est Est, Frankie & Benny's and Garfunkel's, is focusing on making better use of IT by working with VIA UK and is now extending its VPN to operations at Gatwick airport and upgrading the network to increase capacity and performance.

• Professional Services Segment

  • Gruner AG -- Switzerland

    Major Swiss civil engineering group, Gruner AG, with headquarters in Basel and affiliated companies in Switzerland and Germany, awarded the contract to VIA NET.WORKS to upgrade its ADSL VPN to a highly reliable, fully managed Internet (IPSec) VPN. VIA designed and is in the process of completing the implementation of a flexible, secure and robust IP VPN based on leased line connections to link Gruner's seven main office sites. VIA's VPN solution will fulfill Gruner's key requirements, providing secure communications through encrypted links with guaranteed minimal latency time and high availability to support optimal performance for the company's CITRIX Terminal Server sessions.

• Transportation Segment (local niche market)

  • GrohmannAttollo GmbH -- Germany

    VIA designed a DSL VPN solution for GrohmannAttollo GmbH, a medium- sized haulage and transport logistics company, to create efficient communications between the company's 15 sites in Germany. In addition to helping GrohmannAttollo control its communications costs, the DSL VPN is streamlining the company's supply chain management and logistics processes, further improving their ability to offer a complex range of services to meet customer requirements.

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In commenting on these customer wins, Keith Westcott, SVP VIA Industry Solutions Group, stated, "We are fulfilling our vision to develop and deliver 'big company' solutions to the SME market. These recent customer additions attest to VIA's ability to create a commercially attractive set of IP networking solutions that companies of all sizes can build their businesses on. We look forward to building on this base of success as we see opportunities for significant potential growth in the VPN services market across Europe."

VIA's IP VPN solutions have been designed to meet the networking needs of SMEs across Europe. VIA has significantly enhanced its ability to deliver best-fit networking solutions by combining three VPN technologies -- DSL VPN for the lowest cost-per-site links to a central office; Internet VPN for greatest flexibility and MPLS VPN to support multiple classes of service -- with an innovative traffic analysis and network-monitoring tool, IP Vision.