Essential Security Software and Erado Message Control Solutions Announce Strategic Alliance to Deliver Healthcare Email Security Solution; Erado Joins ESS' New Partner Connection Program

Business Wire, July 7, 2005

MINNEAPOLIS -- Essential Security Software (ESS), an email and document security provider, and Erado Message Control Solutions, an application service provider of message security and compliance solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to provide a total email and document security solution to Erado's healthcare and financial services customers. ESS also announced its Partner Connection Program for ISVs and ISPs in North America. ESS, a Microsoft Certified Partner, made the announcements at the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference 2005, attended by more than 6,000 Microsoft partners.

Existing and pending legislation such as Sarbanes-Oxley, Gramm Leach Bliley Act, HIPAA, and California Senate Bill 1386 require that firms dealing with personal, financial or medical information implement proper safeguards such as those provided by Essential Security Software and Erado.

Essential Security Software's email and document security product, Essential Taceo(TM), will be integrated into Erado's managed service solutions as part of a pilot program initially for the healthcare industry. The technology, designed for the smallest rural clinic to the largest urban medical center, ensures message data is secure, archived and compliant. The initial installations will serve as a pilot which, when rolled out, will serve an estimated 12,000 users.

"We're delighted to partner with ESS and deliver a powerful email security solution for our customers in the healthcare industry," said Craig Brauff, CEO, Erado. "ESS has provided us with a great new revenue opportunity, as well as the tools and resources we need to take advantage of that opportunity."

Partner Sales and Support Resources

ESS' Partner Connection Program equips technology providers such as Erado with the knowledge and tools they need to build their revenue with solutions that incorporate Essential Taceo, ESS' peer-to-peer email and document security technology for small and mid-sized businesses. Resources include:

--Developer Support: Developers receive a direct relationship with ESS to support their integration of Essential Taceo into their product line(s).

--Online Toolkit: Developers have online access to marketing, sales and technical support materials.

--Free Technical and Sales Support: Developers receive unlimited free email and phone support for technical and sales questions.

--Partner Branded User Interface: Developers can customize ESS' user interface with their own corporate brand.

About Essential Taceo

Essential Taceo, the world's first peer-to-peer content security solution designed to meet the security needs of small and mid-sized businesses, is a powerful, easy-to-use document security solution that enables users to securely distribute sensitive email messages and documents while protecting the privacy, integrity and authenticity of the content.

Taceo gives content authors the power to enable rights management controls that determine how the recipient may use their content. For example, Taceo senders can prevent sensitive email and documents from being edited, printed, copied or opened by an unwanted third party. Taceo includes strong encryption and powerful rights management controls. Not only is content protected while in storage or transit, but also after it has arrived on the authorized recipient's desktop.

About Essential Security Software

Founded in September 2003 and headquartered in Bellevue, Wash., ESS believes that people have the right to security technology that is powerful, effective, flexible and easy to use. ESS provides robust software security solutions that enrich people's lives by leveraging the full power of computing technologies. More information is available at http://www.essentialsecurity.com.

About Erado

Erado Message Control Solutions is the industry's leading provider of message control solutions for the enterprise. Erado's Total Control Solution protects and provides control over spam, viruses, content and directory harvest attacks. Erado's state of the art message control and security solutions ensures that email is clean, secure, and compliant. More information is available at http://www.erado.com.

Taceo is a trademark of Essential Security Software. All other product and company names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.