CHECK POINT SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES LTD. TO MERGE WITH METAINFO, INC.
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Merger Furthers Vision of Policy-based Management of Active Networks REDWOOD CITY, CALIF., – April 14, 1998 – Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (Nasdaq: CHKPF) today announced that it has signed a definitive merger agreement with MetaInfo, Inc., an industry leader in IP address management software. As a result of the transaction, MetaInfo will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Check Point Software Technologies, Inc. With the merger, Check Point strengthens its position as the worldwide leader in policy-based management solutions for active networks. As a result of the transaction, MetaInfo's IP address management products, which integrate dynamic assignment of IP addresses (DHCP), mapping of IP addresses to user-friendly names (DNS), and directory services, will be added to Check Point's Enterprise Infrastructure Management product line. Over time, MetaInfo's technology will also be incorporated into the products in Check Point's Enterprise Security Management and Enterprise Traffic Management product lines to enhance their manageability. MetaInfo's IP address management technology automatically maintains the association between user names, dynamically-allocated IP addresses, and DNS names. This ensures that no duplicate IP addresses or misnamed devices exist and greatly simplifies the administration of IP networks of any size. In essence, the MetaInfo products manage the physical infrastructure upon which network services, such as Check Point's enterprise security, traffic control, and directory services products, are built. "The merger with MetaInfo brings Check Point one step further toward our vision of secure, reliable, and manageable business communications over IP networks, embodied by our Secure Enterprise Connectivity strategy," said Gil Shwed, president and CEO of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. "In the past, the physical infrastructure of IP networks was fairly static. But today, users require universal connectivity anytime, anywhere, through a growing number of network devices. Managing this new fluid, dynamic network requires central, policy-based management of all critical network functions, from the supporting infrastructure through the services of security, traffic control, and directory services."
The ability to synchronize the underlying physical infrastructure with the network services built on top will make the era of services-driven active networks possible. Forrester Research, Inc., defines the "active network" as a new generation IP-based network which dynamically identifies "users and content to optimize delivery according to business priorities." Services-driven active networks will distribute security, traffic control, and directory services throughout the network based upon enterprise-wide policies. Meeting the demands of these large, fluid networks requires that the core network services of security and traffic control be integrated with a directory service to handle the multitudes of users. Security, traffic control and directory services must then be synchronized with the underlying physical network infrastructure to ensure that all communications, both inside and outside of the network, are routed to the correct physical destination. Today's merger with MetaInfo adds the IP address management technology needed to accomplish this last critical step and enable true Secure Enterprise Connectivity worldwide. With the complete Secure Enterprise Connectivity framework now in place, network administrators can now confidently plug-in a variety of other network services through Check Point's OPSEC™ (Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity) framework. OPSEC uses a combination of published application programming interfaces (APIs), industry-standard protocols and a high-level scripting language to provide a single extensible management framework that integrates and manages network services. OPSEC allows users to easily, seamlessly, and selectively integrate a full spectrum of services, defined and driven by a single, enterprise-wide policy which provides the critical management capabilities essential to drive today's rapidly growing, fluid networks. The integration of all of these technologies, including IP address management, policy-based management capabilities and directory services, enables network administrators to create a Universal Access Profile™, or UAP, for each network user. This UAP will need to be defined only once and it will travel with the user, being activated whenever and wherever he or she accesses the network. Each user's UAP will contain the user's unique security privileges and traffic priorities, defined by the network manager in the policy-based management console. As a result, users will no longer be restricted by the network's physical limitations, enabling the emergence of a truly global network and ushering in the era of the active services-driven network. Check Point will issue 683,200 shares of Common Stock in exchange for all of the outstanding shares and options to purchase shares of MetaInfo. The merger will be accounted for as a pooling of interests transaction.
MetaInfo, Inc., located in Seattle, Washington, is an international leader in network and IP address management software for heterogeneous networks. The company's flagship product line, Meta IP, was the first standards-based solution to fully automate and control IP addressing and naming for environments ranging from the moderate to the enterprise-scale network. Recently awarded the Best of VARVision award for channel strategy, MetaInfo develops software that sets the standard for easy set-up, integration and administration of complex networks. Its software solutions, leveraging the power of open standards, are used by corporations worldwide including The Clorox Company, Toshiba and Koch Industries. For additional information, contact MetaInfo at 206-674-3700;, e-mail: info@metainfo.com; Web site: http://www.metainfo.com Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. is a leading provider of policy-based management solutions for active networks. Through its patented Stateful Inspection technology, the company is uniquely positioned to deliver Secure Enterprise Connectivity solutions that protect information assets and enhance the performance of enterprise networks. Check Point offerings include the world's leading enterprise security suite, Check Point™ FireWall-1, and the industry's premier policy-based bandwidth management solution, Check Point FloodGate-1™. The company has U.S. headquarters in Redwood City, California and international headquarters in Ramat-Gan, Israel. For product information, please visit our web site at http://www.checkpoint.com ###
1998 Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Check Point, the Check Point logo, Check Point FireWall-1, FireWall-1, SecuRemote, FireWall-First!, OPSEC, INSPECT, Universal Access Profile, FloodGate-1 and IQ Engine are trademarks or registered trademarks of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. Meta IP and DNS for Windows NT are trademarks of MetaInfo, Inc. All other product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners. EDITORS' ADVISORY: There will be a teleconference held today at 10:30AM PDT to discuss Check Point's merger with MetaInfo, Inc. Inside the U.S., please call 800-946-0741 at 10:15 AM PDT, and ask to be connected to the Check Point teleconference. A 24-hour playback of the teleconference will be available 2 hours after the completion of the live teleconference, and can be accessed by calling 402-220-0109. |