SmoothWall Launches Corporate Guardian 5 Web Security System; New Version Adds Spyware and Anti-Virus Protection, Integration with Crystal Reports and Powers First SmoothWall Hardware Appliance

Business Wire, April 25, 2006

LEEDS, United Kingdom -- Internet security specialist SmoothWall today announced Version 5 of its Corporate Guardian web security and content filtering solution. Enabling managers to intelligently control web usage and protect against malicious websites, spyware and viruses, Corporate Guardian 5 will be available as both software and a range of hardware appliances, further extending SmoothWall's products for the enterprise and SME markets.

New features in Corporate Guardian Version 5 include:

--Anti-virus scanning of file downloads

--Enhanced spyware detection

--More flexible time-of-day controlled access to news, shopping and other non-work-related sites

--Integration with Crystal Reports allowing users to design their own reports

The web is an essential part of the modern working environment, yet its sheer size means that it is simply not possible to pre-categorize more than a tiny percentage of its tens of billions of pages. Corporate Guardian's Dynamic Content Analysis technology overcomes this by analyzing the content of each page requested by users, controlling access based on what the page actually contains rather than using a static blocklist of a few million URLs like most solutions today. This intelligent behavior makes Guardian the most effective web security system available.

"Web-related threats, such as the recent exploits of Internet Explorer TextRange vulnerability, are becoming a more common way of spreading spyware, remote control Trojans and other malware", said George Lungley, SmoothWall's Managing Director. "While most organizations and home users have reasonable email protection, attackers realize that web access is normally a poorly defended target. Corporate Guardian's intelligent protection allows managers to monitor web traffic, block access to objectionable material, control access to non-work-related websites and reduce the risk of network failure from web-borne spyware, viruses and software exploits."

Corporate Guardian 5 is the first SmoothWall product that may be supplied as a pre-installed appliance based on IBM server hardware, with worldwide hardware support available from IBM and its service partners. The range of appliances will include models to support a maximum of 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 simultaneous users per appliance, with clustering options to support greater numbers. Alternatively, Corporate Guardian 5 will be available as software to convert a standard PC or server into a dedicated web security/content-filtering appliance.

In addition to blocking access to objectionable web content such as pornography, violence and gambling, and stopping the illegal download of copyrighted music and video, Corporate Guardian 5 also provides comprehensive reporting on web usage. Built-in report facilities, including most visited sites, user activity analysis and bandwidth utilization, are augmented by integration with Crystal Reports(R), allowing the production of customized reports based on SmoothWall templates.

Corporate Guardian 5 will be available at the end of May 2006, with a starting price of $700.00 to protect a ten-computer network. Twelve months upgrade assurance and list subscriptions are included in the initial license price, with second and subsequent year costs not exceeding 50 percent of the first year price.

About SmoothWall

Formed in 2000, SmoothWall is the leading Internet security provider now protecting over a million networks worldwide. With its specialist development team, SmoothWall has harnessed years of technical expertise to develop a suite of firewall, virtual private network (VPN), content filtering and bandwidth solutions used by SMEs, large corporate organizations and educational institutions.

Based in the United Kingdom, with offices in Leeds and Southampton, SmoothWall delivers global security solutions through a worldwide support network, with representation in the USA, North and South America, Europe, Africa the Middle East and Australasia.

For more information and a Global directory of local sales and support partners, please visit: www.smoothwall.net.