Lieutenant General William J. Donahue Joins Blue Ridge Networks Board of Directors; Appointment Underscores Blue Ridge Networks Commitment To DoD and Federal Network Security Needs

Business Wire, July 11, 2005

CHANTILLY, Va. -- Blue Ridge Networks, the premier provider of solutions for wireless network security and managed high security VPN services, announced today that retired United States Air Force Lieutenant General William J. Donahue has joined its board of directors.

Lt. Gen Donahue culminated his 34-year Air Force Career in 2000 as Director, Communications and Information, Headquarters U.S. Air Force and Commander, Air Force Communications and Information Center, Washington, D.C. In these roles, he set strategic plans, doctrine, policies, architecture and standards for communications and information systems in the Air Force. As functional manager for the Air Force communications and information career field, Donahue was responsible for three field operating agencies: the Air Force Communications Agency, the Air Force Pentagon Communications Agency, and the Air Force Frequency Management Agency.

Lt. General Donahue remains active in government information technology. He is Executive Vice President, Federal Solutions for Sytel, Inc. and he serves on corporate and advisory boards for Robbins-Gioia, Tibco, and Fast Search & Transfer.

"There are very few individuals who can claim the depth and breadth of experience in securing military information systems," noted Tony Russo, President and CEO for Blue Ridge Networks. "General Donahue has been instrumental in creating the strategic approach for Air Force communications systems and his guidance will help shape the products and services we create to respond to the government's ever-increasing needs centering on a mobile and geographically dispersed work force engaged in increasingly complex net-centric operations."

Lt. Gen. Donahue entered active duty in September 1966 after graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics from Bellarmine College in Kentucky. He holds a Masters Degree from the Air Force Institute of Technology and has completed executive programs at the University of California Berkeley and the Harvard JFK School of Government.

About Blue Ridge Networks

Blue Ridge Networks develops secure communications solutions for wireless and wired environments. The company was responsible for the industry's first commercial virtual private network and has completed widespread deployments across commercial and government sectors. The Blue Ridge Networks BorderGuard product suite has been deployed globally and in demanding applications such as wireless LAN, extranets, site-to-site and remote access VPN, and thin client computing. The company has earned several government agency certifications, including: FIPS 140-2 Validation, Common Criteria Certification, HIPAA compliance, and the Department of Defense SPOCK Validation. Blue Ridge Networks is a GSA Schedule 70 contract holder and is classified as a small business. Information about the company's products and managed services can be found at www.blueridgenetworks.com.

Blue Ridge Networks and BorderGuard are trademarks of Blue Ridge Networks, Inc. Other names used herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.