ComNet/DC '99 Announces New Product Achievement Awards Finalists; Emerging Companies Make Strong Showing For the Year's Best New Products in Networking, Data and Telecommunications

Business Wire, Jan 19, 1999

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 1999--The organizers of ComNet/DC '99 today announced 27 finalists will compete for top honors in the ComNet New Product Achievement Awards (NPAA) competition. Sponsored by IDG's InfoWorld, the Awards recognize the best new computer networking hardware, software, services, and solutions debuting at ComNet.

Scheduled for January 26 - 28 at the Washington, D.C. Convention Center and the Washington, D.C. Renaissance Hotel, ComNet is the largest technology conference and exhibition dedicated to enterprise networking and communications.

This year several emerging companies such as Softcom Systems, New Access Communications, and PakNetX make a strong showing as Awards finalists, joining 3Com, Cisco Systems, Lucent Technologies, MCI Worldcom, and Sprint. The winners of this year's competition will join past honorees from ComNet '98, including 3Com, Atmosphere Networks, Cisco Systems, Ganymede Software, Nbase, NetReality, Inc., networkMCI, Newbridge Networks, and Grand Prizewinner Network Associates. A complete list of this year's finalists, product descriptions and company contacts follows.

"ComNet continues to be the industry's major event where leading networking and communications companies unveil new products and services," said Debra Hart, ComNet show director from IDG Expo Management. "This year more than 300 exhibiting companies will introduce new products and services, and the New Product Achievement Awards will honor those companies that have contributed the most innovative products which promise to change the networking and communications industry."

Winners will be chosen by non-exhibitor attendees, who will cast votes during the show and choose the best new product in each of eight categories, as well as one product for the ComNet '99 Most Innovative New Product or Service. Finalists' products will be on display in the New Product Showcase located in the main lobby of the Washington, D.C. Convention Center. All winners will be announced at the New Product Achievement Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, January 27, 1999 at 5:30 p.m. in the Washington, D.C. Renaissance Hotel. The Awards will be presented by InfoWorld Publisher Phil Branon.

To qualify for the competition, products must be introduced for the first time at ComNet '99, or announced within eight weeks preceding ComNet and cannot have been introduced or exhibited in the same form at previous trade shows.

The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges consisting of representatives from the trade and business press, industry research firms, the financial community and academia. They were evaluated on the basis of innovation, industry contribution, integration with current product lines, migration capabilities and return on investment.

ComNet '99 is expected to attract close to 50,000 communications and networking professionals to the Washington, D.C. Convention Center to test and evaluate more than 400 companies demonstrating the latest networking and telecommunications technologies. This year's keynote speakers are C. Michael Armstrong of AT&T, John Chambers of Cisco Systems, and John Sidgmore of UUNET and MCI Worldcom. -0-

1999 NPAA FINALISTS

CARRIER/WAN SERVICE OR PRODUCT

Company                     Product Description       Company Contact

Castle Networks             C2100 Services            Matthew Burke
Westford, MA                Mediation Platform (SMP)  (978)692-9500

New Access Communications   MetroFusion Network       Jeff Graham

Santa Barbara, CA                                     (818)773-0900

Salix Technologies          ETX5000                   Kit Goldfarb
Gaithersburg, MD                                      (301)417-0017

Sprint Corporation          Sprint ION
Dallas, TX                  (Integrated On-Demand     Joey Mooring
                             Network)                 (972)405-5345

INTERNET/INTRANET PRODUCT

Company            Product                     Company Contact

IRE/Safenet        ADSP 2141 SafeNet Crypt1C   Maureen Walsh
Baltimore, MD                                  (410)931-1103

Loral Orion        WorldCast Premier           Lisa Koppel
Rockville, MD                                  (301)258-8101

MCI Worldcom       MCI Worldcom Interact       Paul Adams
Atlanta, GA                                    (770)280-6406

MEMCO Software     SECURED For Internet        Cherity Morrison
Redwood City, CA                               (415)677-0219

LAN/INTERNETWORKING PRODUCT

Company                Product                 Contact

Carrier Access Corp.   Access Bank II/SDSL     Michele Yamada
Boulder, CO            (Symmetric Digital      (303)442-5455
                        Subscriber Line)

LANart                 SxC1215 - 12 Channel    Sondra Barrison
Needham, MA             100Base-TX to 100Base  (781)444-1994
                        SX Converter

Softcom Microsystems   GigaBlade(TM)Network    Melissa Crowton
Fremont, CA                                    (510)497-3962

NETWORK INFRASTRUCTURE PRODUCT

Company                      Product                  Contact

Cisco Systems                MGX 8850 Wide Area Edge  Everett Tackett
San Jose, CA                                          (408)527-8607

Glenayre Western Multiplex   Tsunami                  Shauna Schinella
Sunnyvale,CA                                          (408)542-5210


Siemens Information &        HiNet RC                 Austen Briggs
Communication Networks                                (650) 363-0982
Santa Clara, CA

VINA Technologies            Multiservice             Pamela Rupert
Fremont, CA                                          (408) (408)286-2611

NETWORK MANAGEMENT

Company                  Product                  Contact

Cornet Technology        FSX Fiber Crosspoint     Rosemarie D'Agostino
Springfield, VA                                   (703)658-6746


RADCOM Equipment       WireSpeed(TM)622 ATM       Bob Geller
Mahwah, NJ and Israel   and Packet over SONET     (212)840-5905
                        (POS)

Voelker Technologies   AxxS 9200                  Tom Burniece
San Ramon, CA                                     (925)551-6400


WIRELESS PRODUCT

Company               Product                 Contact

3Com                  3Com/Citrix thin        Steve Plavny
Rolling Meadows, IL                           (847)262-1329

Metricom              Richocet SX Modem       John Wernke
Los Gatos, CA                                 (408) 399-8315

Nbase/Xyplex          Wireless Fiber Driver   Jeff Graham
Chatsworth, CA                                (818)773-0900

SOFTWARE AND APPLICATIONS PRODUCT

Company              Product                         Contact

3Com                 DynamicAccess Mobile Software   Molly Mulloy
Salt Lake City, UT                                   (408)326-3021

LAN-hopper Systems   PATHmaster v4.0                 Ike de Diego
Norcross, GA                                         (770)446-9266

Visio Corp.          Visio Enterprise                Susanne Buti
Seattle, WA                                          (425)637-9097

TELEPHONY/FAX/CONFERENCING PRODUCT

Company                   Product                     Contact

Lucent Technologies       PacketStar IP Gateway 1000  Steven Ledermilk
Basking Ridge, NJ                                     Carolyn Kostka

                                                      (908) 953-7514

Open Port Technology      IP Launch Pad               Rand Pitzer
Chicago, IL                                           (312) 867-5023

PakNetX                   PNX ACD                     Jennifer Trevor
Salem, NJ                                             (603) 890-6616
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