NextPoint Networks Joins Check Point Software OPSEC Alliance
NextPoint and Check Point to collaborate on secure, managed Internet access solutions WESTFORD, Mass. – January 14, 1998 – NextPoint Networks today announced that the company has joined Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s (Nasdaq: CHKPF) OPSECTM Alliance. The OPSEC Alliance brings together industry leaders to create an easy-to-manage, standards-based security solution for Internet and Intranet computing environments. As an Alliance partner, the award-winning NextPoint S3TM management product will be made OPSEC-compliant, to deliver network and application performance management compatible with the OPSEC (Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity) framework. NextPoint S3 is the industry's first 100% Web-architected, Business-Centric Network ManagementTM solution. NextPoint S3 provides actionable information that empowers network managers to take control of their networks and make informed decisions that improve service to business users. Business-Centric Network Management bridges three critical gaps between 1) network operations and service management, 2) real-time monitoring and historical analysis, and 3) network performance and business applications performance. As a result, users benefit from higher network availability, improved performance, and reduced cost of network ownership. This collaboration with Check Point is an important step towards achieving our long-term vision of delivering practical solutions that help customers proactively manage their Intranet traffic. With the OPSEC Software Development Kit (SDK), NextPoint Networks will be able to deliver real-time analysis reports using data from the Check PointTM FireWall-1 enterprise security solution. These reports will compare real-time data about the traffic through the firewall to historic trends with exceptional granularity using NextPoint S3's innovative Traffic SignaturesTM technology. Businesses with this insight into their networks will be able to achieve predictable behavior of their Intranets while minimizing their investments. "NextPoint Networks S3's conformance with the OPSEC specification will support our customers' need to monitor and analyze the end-to-end performance of their networks, including Check Point's industry leading network security products," said William Maro, President and CEO of NextPoint Networks. "We are pleased to be working with Check Point through the OPSEC Alliance to enhance the total enterprise management solution." "We are very pleased that NextPoint Networks has joined the OPSEC Alliance," said Asheem Chandna, Vice President of Business Development at Check Point Software Technologies, Inc. "Furthermore, NextPoint's innovative solution for end-to-end traffic reporting and analysis will enable our customers to tune their FireWall-1 implementations and protect their investments." Using a combination of published application programming interfaces (APIs), industry-standard protocols and a high-level scripting language, OPSEC provides a single framework that integrates and manages all aspects of network security through an open, extensible management framework. With OPSEC, customers can easily, seamlessly, and selectively integrate a full spectrum of security applications, defined and driven by a single, central enterprise-wide security policy. NextPoint S3 management software uses a variety of open standards such as RMON, SNMP, and now OPSEC standards to manage networks in a multi-vendor environment. About NextPoint Networks NextPoint Networks of Westford, Massachusetts develops and markets Business-Centric Network Management solutions to networking professionals enabling proactive service level management and better performing, more cost-effective networks. NextPoint Networks addresses the complexity of today's networking environment and provides actionable information to manage and operate networks based on business objectives and measures. ### NextPoint S3 and Traffic Signatures are trademarks of NextPoint Networks, Inc. Check Point and OPSEC are trademarks and FireWall-1 is a registered trademark of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All other products or services mentioned may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. |