Expand's New DTA Algorithm Outperforms Competition in Independent Tolly Group Benchmark

Business Wire, Nov 15, 2004

ROSELAND, N.J. -- Tolly Group Test of Accelerator 4800 Series Reveals Improved Expand Algorithm that Now Delivers 8x More WAN Capacity and 5x Faster File Transfers than Competitive Offerings Tested

Expand Networks, a leading provider of Application Traffic Management solutions for the branch office, today announced results from an independent Tolly Group test in which Expand's new DTA (Data Transfer Acceleration) algorithm was benchmarked against competitive technologies. The new DTA algorithm has been introduced into Expand's current 5.0 version software, which powers all Expand Accelerator appliances.

Expand commissioned The Tolly Group to benchmark the effectiveness of the Expand Accelerator 4800 Series over Packeteer PacketShapers and Peribit Sequence Reducers. The premise of the test centered on demonstrating that while compression is important in addressing bandwidth efficiency, data acceleration technology is a must-have to address latency and packet loss which directly compromise application transfers to remote branch offices.

Test Set-Up and Highlights

Tolly Group engineers subjected all three competitive devices to a series of file transfer tests in which they used real-time compression techniques to move the Canterbury Files (http://www.cosc.canterbury.ac.nz). These publicly available files are representative of enterprise traffic and are the de-facto standard for testing compression algorithms. During each test, 10 file transfers were conducted. The test bed simulated two offices communicating across a 512-Kbps WAN with 100-millisecond roundtrip latency.

Highlights from the test include the following results:

--Expand Accelerators delivered 13 times the effective WAN link capacity when compared to file transfers without compression.

--Expand Accelerators provided nearly eight times more effective WAN link capacity than the Packeteer and Peribit products tested.

--Expand Accelerators improved file transfer times by up to five times over the Peribit Sequence Reducer-20 and the Packeteer PacketShaper 2500 in a variety of WAN scenarios.

The full report is available at www.expand.com/tolly.> "We stress-tested all three devices under multiple WAN scenarios to simulate real-world production networks," said Kevin Tolly, President/CEO of The Tolly Group. "The Expand Accelerator 4820 outperformed the competition in every test scenario, demonstrating that the device enables users to maximize their WAN connections efficiently."

Expand's new DTA acceleration algorithm was recently introduced as a minor release into the company's current AcceleratorOS Version 5.0. The new algorithm is part of Expand's ongoing research and development investments in enhancing both product performance and functionality.

"The Tolly Group Test has validated our number one ranking for performance and value in the traffic management market," commented Ariel Shulman, Vice President of Product Management at Expand Networks. "The hands-down number one in performance coupled with the patent-pending router transparency mode puts us well ahead of any offering out there. However, more important is the new value we offer for branch office application performance and response times which tops all competitive offerings in the market."

About Expand Networks

Expand Networks is a leading provider of Application Traffic Management solutions for the branch office. The company's Accelerators take Application Traffic Management to the next level by employing a modular and intelligent application architecture that eliminates complexities associated with traditional traffic management solutions. The Accelerators automatically adapt to changes in traffic, remove WAN inefficiencies and maximize the performance of distributed enterprise applications. The Accelerators combine many unique features including next-generation WAN compression, application-specific acceleration, Layer 7 QoS and sophisticated monitoring and reporting. Expand has shipped over 20,000 Accelerator devices to more than 1,000 customers including Motorola, Continental Airlines and the United States Department of Defense. Expand Networks is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey with offices in Australia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Singapore, South Africa, United Kingdom and throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.expand.com or call 1 (888) 892-1250.

Expand Networks, Accelerator System 9000, Accelerator Server, Accelerator 6800 Series, Accelerator 4800 Series, Accelerator 4000 Series, Accelerator 1800 Series, HTTPS Accelerator Series and ExpandView are trademarks of Expand Networks. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

About The Tolly Group

The Tolly Group, an independent testing and strategic consulting organization based in Boca Raton, FL., offers a full range of services designed to furnish both the vendor and end-user communities with authoritative and unbiased information. Additionally, The Tolly Group is recognized worldwide for its expertise in assessing leading-edge technologies. For more information on The Tolly Group's services, visit its Web site at http://www.tolly.com, E-mail info@tolly.com, call (561) 391-5610, or fax (561) 391-5810.