SealedMedia Chosen by Newcastle Building Society to Secure Digital Intellectual Capital; Major U.K. Building Society Shares Information Safely with Estate Agents, Valuers and Other Third Parties

Business Wire, June 20, 2006

LOS GATOS, Calif. -- SealedMedia Inc., the leading provider of cross-platform enterprise digital rights management (E-DRM) solutions, today announced that Newcastle Building Society has chosen its software to protect the organization's digitized intellectual capital. By using SealedMedia Enterprise, Newcastle shares information securely with solicitors, valuers, estate agents and other third parties.

Newcastle Building Society is one of the United Kingdom's leading building societies, with assets in excess of GBP 3.8 billion. Headquartered in Newcastle, England, the company maintains a network of 33 branches throughout the U.K. and in Gibraltar, to meet the complex and changing financial needs of its customer base. SealedMedia E-DRM software provides a secure platform for sharing and accessing information across Newcastle's network.

"U.K. companies must properly safeguard customer and partner data in order to comply with regulatory mandates whilst providing peace of mind to customers," said Pat Watson, Information Security manager for Newcastle Building Society. "SealedMedia is one of the key solutions we have implemented to deliver that peace of mind."

"Newcastle is the latest in a growing list of international customers that now understand the value of E-DRM," said Nigel Hopkinson, VP Sales, SealedMedia. "Regardless of a company's vertical market or geographic location, chances are they need an E-DRM solution to ensure compliance with today's regulatory mandates."

Newcastle embraced SealedMedia's software as part of the organization's progressive efforts to protect its clients' and partners' information. Much like in the United States, where companies must safeguard data to meet corporate compliance mandates, U.K. companies have a duty to protect personal financial information under the Data Protection Act, Section 7. The Act establishes a standard of due care to protect customer and partner information, and also subjects companies to fines and penalties should any of the regulations be breached. Newcastle has taken steps to classify confidential information under the ISO17799 standard, following industry best practices, and has achieved certification against the Standard.

Answering the Challenge

In addition to protecting information within its network, Newcastle must safely share customers' financial information with third-party vendors, including solicitors, valuers, and estate agents. Furthermore, Newcastle must protect that data even while it is being used within applications. In other words, the company needs to ensure that highly sensitive information communicated electronically does not fall into the wrong hands.

In the past, such sensitive information was communicated via fax, or even by email sent "in the clear." However, Newcastle realized that it needed a secure solution that supported all major file formats. Enter SealedMedia E-DRM, which includes a centralized management capability. This function makes it easy for management to view reports and audit logs, ensuring that Newcastle complies with regulations. In addition, when individuals no longer have a reason to access confidential information, it is a simple matter to centrally revoke rights to a document or email.

"We rely on SealedMedia to encrypt data in transit, especially where the protection must be persistent," said Newcastle's Watson. "The Newcastle provides services for other financial services organisations through one of its subsidiaries, Newcastle Strategic Solutions Ltd. It is essential therefore that communications with our business partners, and other third-party organisations, such as solicitors and valuers, are secure. With SealedMedia, we don't have to rely on old-fashioned communication methods like sending a fax or burning a CD. Now, we can securely email the information, safe in the knowledge that it will only be used by authorised users, for intended purposes."

SealedMedia is the leading provider of cross-platform enterprise digital rights management (E-DRM) solutions that enable unprecedented digital 'remote control' and management over email and document content. SealedMedia facilitates businesses by enabling them to profit and flourish as a result of the speed and low cost associated with electronic communications. Simultaneously, it mitigates risk and enables maximum control over who can access and use their most sensitive information and when, for the lifetime of a document. SealedMedia effectively addresses the critical areas of information management, intellectual property protection and regulatory compliance.

About SealedMedia, Inc. (www.SealedMedia.com)

SealedMedia helps organizations maintain complete control over who can use their most sensitive information and when, for the lifetime of a document. Executives and employees can send emails and documents securely to anyone, anywhere in the world, while easily maintaining control over when, where and how the information is used, and by whom. Headquartered in Los Gatos, California with European offices in London, UK and North American sales offices in Boston, Massachusetts, SealedMedia has an enviable customer base of Fortune 500, Global 1000 and FTSE 100 companies, as well as governments and government agencies around the world.