Enterasys Networks Debuts in InformationWeek 500; Newly Public Enterprise Networking Company Makes First Appearance in Listing of Top Information Technology —IT— Innovators

Business Wire, Sept 26, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

ROCHESTER, N.H.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 26, 2001

Enterasys Networks Inc. announced that it has been named to the recently released InformationWeek 500. Compiled annually by CMP Media LLC's InformationWeek, the InformationWeek 500 is a prestigious listing of the largest and most innovative users of information technology. For 13 years, the InformationWeek 500 has tracked businesses' IT agendas, providing a unique opportunity to understand and examine their business practices across core areas of operations.

"In a down market, staying competitive is critical, and there's a delicate balance between opportunistic investments and prudent spending," said Rusty Weston, editor of InformationWeek Research. "The findings of the 2001 InformationWeek 500 reinforce past results that early adoption of new technologies is essential to an organization's success."

The research process for compilation of the InformationWeek 500 involved identifying and ranking US companies with annual revenues of more than $1 billion through a series of extensive mail, phone, and fax surveys. Senior IT executives at eligible companies were surveyed regarding their organizational priorities as well as spending plans for the upcoming year. The results were compiled in four categories - technology strategy, e-business strategy, business practices, and customer knowledge - and Enterasys earned three gold medals and one silver medal.

"It is very gratifying for us to have earned this recognition from the editors at InformationWeek," said Len Couture, CIO at Enterasys. "As users become more sophisticated in their utilization of technology, it is critical to have an infrastructure that is intelligent and flexible enough to exploit enhancements at an application level. Our focus on providing a secure, mobile, and high availability networking infrastructure allows us to contain costs while improving our ability to support our internal users more effectively. This is especially true because we are able to use our own solutions to meet the needs of our business. In turn, this allows us to understand better the needs of our customers and to develop the kinds of innovative networking solutions that will give them significant business advantages."

A full list of companies in the InformationWeek 500, as well as in-depth analysis of the rankings, can be found at informationweek.com. The entire InformationWeek 500 research report can be purchased at informationweek.com/reports.

About Enterasys Networks

Enterasys Networks (NYSE: ETS) is a new type of company that combines a single market focus with a strong technology heritage to provide communications infrastructures for enterprise-class customers. Enterasys' networking hardware and software offerings deliver the innovative security, availability and mobility solutions required by Global 2000 organizations coupled with the industry's strongest service and support. Based in Rochester, New Hampshire, Enterasys was named a "Company to Watch in 2001" by CIO Magazine. For more information, visit www.enterasys.com.

This release may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding the future financial performance of the company or other future events and circumstances. Such forward-looking statements by their nature involve risks and uncertainties, and actual results or events could differ materially. Risks that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements include business disruption and market perceptions associated with the company's emergence as an independent public company, as well as risks associated with competitive conditions, pricing and margin pressures as a result of product shifts and changes in market dynamics, greater use of, and expenses associated with, distributors and resellers, limited management resources, the company's acquisition strategy, volatility in the stock markets and market valuations being placed on communications infrastructure and service companies, technological changes, intellectual property protection and related issues, dependence on suppliers and contract manufacturers, and potential volatility in operating results, among others. For a more detailed discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties related to the company's business, please refer to Cabletron Systems, Inc.'s most recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the its most recent annual report on Form 10-K, and its other more recent reports on Form10-Q and Form 8-K.