News
Issue #2003 - 30 (November 2003)
(Updated Nov. 26, 2003)

INFRASTRUCTURE, PRODUCTS & SERVICES

"Project Nomad" from Surf Control Invites Customers to Become Part of Trial of Wireless 'Follow Me Filtering' Security Technology for Mobile Environments

SCOTTS VALLEY, Calif., (October 29, 2003) -SurfControl, the world's number one Web and e-mail filtering company, recently announced "Project Nomad", a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will allow SurfControl's enterprise customers to field-test the company's new 'Follow Me Filtering' technology for wireless Web access.

"For the first time, businesses will have the ability to filter their employees' Internet access regardless of where they are working or how they connect," said Jim Murphy, SurfControl's Web filtering product manager. "Wireless hotspots are the new danger zones for corporate Internet policy management. Project Nomad follows the mobile user and delivers corporate protection whether employees are in a hotel, the airport, Starbucks or any of the more than 3,000 hotspots nationwide."

Project Nomad participants will have a thin client installed on their wireless devices. This thin client communicates with the Nomad server installed on an organization's own network and filters Internet access based on the organization's Acceptable Use Policy. The Nomad server references the company's filtering rules to assure that remote workers are abiding by the same policies that govern their access when logged onto the corporate Local Area Network. Participants in the pilot program are evaluating the product's security, performance and policy administration capabilities.

"Mobile security, whether it's over the corporate or public wireless network, is a top priority for most IT network managers," said Iain Gillotte, a respected analyst in the wireless industry. "Network managers are demanding ways to control the security of wireless devices, just as they do their wired networks. The market needs better security and this pilot program is a critical step toward achieving it."

Jupiter Research has reported that 57 percent of U.S. companies already support mobile wireless networks, with an additional 22 percent planning to implement wireless technology in the next 12 months. Research by various industry analysts supports anecdotal evidence that companies are increasingly providing employees with notebooks rather than desktops to get them on the road to enhanced productivity.

But activities of mobile users can seriously jeopardize network security, create legal liability and bandwidth issues and undermine productivity. "Project Nomad offers companies an opportunity to pioneer the technology that will transform wireless danger zones into corporate safety zones by securely managing mobile Internet communications," said Murphy, who added that the focus of the pilot will be customers with at least 5,000 mobile workers.

Project Nomad is the next step in SurfControl's 'Follow Me Filtering' strategy to offer products that enable the extension of corporate Internet access and e-mail policies beyond the traditional boundaries of the corporate network. For more information or to participate, customers can visit SurfControl's Web site at: http://www.surfcontrol.com/go/nomad_pilot.

About SurfControl
SurfControl plc, the world's leading Web and e-mail filtering company, delivers on its promise to help companies 'Stop Unwanted Content' in the workplace by continuous innovation, invention and expansion of its filtering products to address new content risks as they emerge. The company is the leader in the Content Security market, which analysts expect to reach nearly $2 billion by 2007. 

SurfControl's partners include Sun Microsystems, Check Point, Cisco, IBM, Research In Motion and Nokia. The company has more than 20,000 customers worldwide, including many of the world's largest corporations, and employs nearly 450 people in nine separate locations across the United States, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.

MobileInfo Comments and Advisory: Spam control is a huge problem for Internet e-mail. As wireless e-mail becomes more pervasive, it will become even a bigger problem because consumers do not have the luxury of filtering junk content or mail after receiving it while they are mobile at the cost of their valuable time and money. It is high time that industry starts researching this area. Against this need, SurfControl's nomad pilot initiative is very worthwhile. SurfControl's 'Follow Me Filtering' strategy is correctly emanating and extending from corporate web and e-mail policies.

Our brief interview with Jim Murphy, Product Manager of Surf Control gives us a feeling that the company does understand some of the issues and wants to understand more of these issues with both web mobility (i.e. using web from different fixed-wire locations) and wireless mobility (connecting to corporate e-mail servers using wireless networks). Project Nomad focuses specifically on web filtering - users as nomads but not necessarily using wireless networks. The company has another pilot with RIM of Ontario, Canada where they are trying to address wireless e-mail filtering issues. 

Note: This news release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and section 21E of Securities Exchange act of 1934 in USA. Similar provisions exist in other countries. There is no assurance that the stipulated plans of vendors will be implemented. MobileInfo does not warrant the authenticity of the information. Readers should take appropriate caution in developing plans utilizing these products, services and technology architectures.  All trademarks used in this summary are the property of their respective owners.