Automotive Finance Corporation Selects Expand Accelerators To Boost Citrix Frame Relay Performance

Business Wire, Jan 22, 2003

High-Tech Writers

ROSELAND, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 22, 2003

Expand Dominates Thin Client Market With

Affordable and Reliable Remote Access Solutions

Expand Networks, a leader in the field of bandwidth optimization technology, today announced that Automotive Finance Corporation (AFC), the largest independent provider of dealer floorplanning in the automotive industry, has deployed Expand Networks' ACCELERATORs to boost Thin Client remote access over the Wide Area Network (WAN).

Floorplanning is the provision of inventory loans usually of 30 to 90 day duration for AFC's approved dealers. AFC has developed a state-of-the-art Frame Relay network to provide unparalleled service to its 17,000 registered dealers through AFC's 82 branches throughout North America. AFC branch personnel have to frequently access, via Citrix Thin Clients, a corporate data center to track loans, and manage communication with the company's vast dealer network. The growing amount of Thin Client traffic began to degrade network performance at the branch level and if left uncorrected would soon begin to compromise AFC's responsiveness to client inquiries.

"Our staff was faced with remedying repeated application disconnects and the premature termination of Citrix user sessions because of sluggish WAN performance," commented, Christopher Anderson, lead WAN engineer at AFC.

AFC responded by initiating ACCELERATOR implementation in key network locations. "We had researched Expand's success in boosting Thin Client application performance over the WAN and when we tested the ACCELERATOR, it was truly proven technology in an extremely manageable box," continued Christopher Anderson. AFC intends to deploy the ACCELERATORs in 60-70 more remote locations.

"AFC joins the ranks of other leading enterprises including Makro, a European wholesale giant and NTT Communications, the second largest global carrier, that have deployed Expand ACCELERATORs to improve the performance of Thin Client applications," said Talmon Marco, president and co-founder, Expand Networks. "The Thin Client user and vendor communities' endorsement of Expand's technology demonstrates that reliable remote access for critical applications does not have to come with a hefty price-tag."

About Automotive Finance Corporation

Automotive Finance Corporation (AFC) provides floorplanning for independent car dealers throughout North America. Established in 1987, AFC is recognized as the largest independent provider of dealer floorplanning in the automotive industry with more than 17,000 registered dealers. AFC's floorplan or inventory loans are usually of 30 to 90 day duration. After approval, the dealer may use AFC to finance vehicles purchased from over 500 auctions and other locations that have been pre-approved by AFC. AFC also offers a multitude of valued products and services including Inventory management systems through Micro21, and floorplan programs for Rental, Salvage, and motorcycle dealers. For your convenience, AFC has 82 branch offices located throughout North America to assist you. We invite you to experience the difference with AFC, the premier choice for dealer floorplanning. www.afcdealer.com

About Expand Networks

Expand Networks pioneered the development of bandwidth boosting appliances - the ACCELERATORs - which increase network capacity by 100 -400+%. The ACCELERATORs eliminate the need for costly WAN link upgrades, enabling quicker deployments of new applications to remote offices. Networked applications such as CRM, Email, ERP, Thin Client and XML increase the strain on scarce WAN resources, often hindering productivity. By removing repeat data patterns found in any type of traffic, the ACCELERATORs provide important bandwidth savings. The end-result is the decrease in network congestion, which in turn speeds up data transfers. Expand Networks allows enterprises to support more networked users, applications and services with fewer resources delivering a typical ROI of 3 to 9 months. Clients include: Motorola, Texas Instruments, Hitachi Capital and the United States Department of Defense. Expand Networks is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey and Tel Aviv, Israel with offices throughout the United States, United Kingdom, and Italy. To learn more, visit www.expand.com or call (888) 892-1250.

Expand Networks, ACCELERATOR 6800, ACCELERATOR 4800, ACCELERATOR 4002, ACCELERATOR 4000, ACCELERATOR 2800, ACCELERATOR 2750 and ACCELERATOR 1800 are trademarks of Expand Networks, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.