Valence Research Joins Check Point Software's OPSEC Alliance Convoy Cluster™ Software Integrates with Check Point FireWall-1

Beaverton, OR, - January 6, 1998 - Valence Research has announced today its participation in Check Point Software Technologies Ltd.'s OPSEC™ (Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity) Alliance and introduced its Convoy Cluster Software for the Check Point™ FireWall-1, enterprise security solution. The combined solution offer powerful security with added high availability and scalable performance needed by enterprises concerned about threats from the content of data that is sent and received through their Internet connections.

Convoy Cluster Software offers a new solution for scaling FireWall-1's performance and maintaining its high availability. Performance scaling helps FireWall-1 to handle more requests at a time with minimum delays, and high availability keeps the enterprise securely protected by ensuring that the firewall remains operational after system outages. Employing advanced clustering technology, Convoy combines the resources of up to thirty-two computers running FireWall-1 into a single "clustered" firewall and transparently partitions incoming network requests across the computers. If a failure occurs, Convoy automatically reconfigures the cluster to direct network requests to the surviving computers.

"Maintaining high performance and availability are key requirements for enterprise-level, firewall customers," said Valence Research's president, Dr. William L. Bain. "The integration of Convoy Cluster Software and FireWall-1 ensures that customers can meet these needs with the world's leading firewall product. We are very excited to be working as an OPSEC Alliance Member with Check Point Software to deliver scalable, highly available firewall services for Windows NT."

About OPSEC (Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity)

Check Point Software's Open Platform for Secure Enterprise Connectivity (OPSEC™) is a revolutionary concept that delivers the industry's first enterprise-wide security framework. OPSEC uses a combination of published application programming interfaces (APIs), industry-standard protocols and a high-level scripting language to provide 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.

About Valence Research

Valence Research, Inc. develops advanced software products that use clustering technology to enhance the availability and scalability of mission critical applications. The company's Convoy Cluster Software employs advanced clustering technology to scale the performance of Internet/Intranet services and ensure their uninterrupted service after system outages. The company is privately held and based in Beaverton, Oregon. For product information, please visit http://www.valence.com, e-mail info@valence.com, or call +1-503-531-8718.

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Convoy Cluster and Valence are trademarks of Valence Research, Inc. Check Point, the Check Point logo, Check Point FireWall-1, FireWall-1, and OPSEC are trademarks or registered trademarks of Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. All other companies and product names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective owners.