Fortress Lead in Wireless Security by Protecting Over 10,000 Networks



Fortress paves the way for secure wireless applications in the enterprise


TAMPA, Fla.-/20 Dec, 2004 - Wi-Fi Technology News/- Affirming their position as the dominant player in the wireless security market, Fortress Technologies today announced that the total number of Fortress-secured networks has grown to more than 10,000. This unparalleled achievement in wireless security validates the market demand and esteem for Fortress? robust and proven solution.

The increased adoption of wireless for critical enterprise applications has led to a resoundingly successful year increasing the number of Fortress-secured networks by more than 42 percent. This year to date, Fortress has more than tripled their customer base and significantly increased revenue in commercial markets expanding customer acquisitions beyond government.

Fortress? success is attributed to optimizing their solutions through development, acquisition and fostering strategic partnerships to meet the needs of security-savvy wireless customers. Fortress has focused on meeting the needs of enterprise customers who are rapidly adopting wireless networks where security is a critical component of that implementation. These mission critical systems range from supply chain management to point of patient care across healthcare, financial, hospitality, manufacturing and utility industries.

Customer Acquisitions Fuel Market Leadership

In June of this year, Fortress? high-assurance and flexible security solutions were selected by Raymond James Financial to enable expanded use of wireless as a core infrastructure. The deployment of Fortress? security products empowers Raymond James employees to securely use multiple types of devices in their wireless network as well as ensure data integrity and privacy in compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Additionally, Fortress was selected as the security provider for the multi-million dollar U.S. Army?s Automatic Identification Technology (AIT) III contract to provide wireless security for a range of mobile devices. Fortress was the only solution to meet the military?s stringent security standards and comply with regulatory requirements.

Strategic Acquisition and Partnerships Contribute to Complete Solution

Fortress? strategic direction to combine networking and security services to create more efficient and secure enterprise infrastructure for their customers has driven their acquisition and partnerships to date.

In October 2004, Fortress strengthened their capabilities by acquiring the highly optimized security processing architecture and wireless switch technologies from Legra Systems. Combined with Fortress? secure policy-based solution, this creates a scalable, sophisticated switch for enterprise policy management as wireless continues to become more central to the core.

Recently, Fortress announced their partnership with Redline Communications, a leading provider of standards-based broadband equipment. The joint venture brings to market the first wireless security solutions for WiMax and wireless wide area networks (WWANs). The combined offering enables enterprise and government users to securely deploy fast wireless networks.

The seamless integration of technology from Senforce Technologies, Inc., the leader in location-aware endpoint security, enables Fortress to provide a complete end-to-end security solution that meets government regulations for client protection.

Additionally, joining forces with 3Com (Nasdaq: COMS), Fortress will assure government customers that they are utilizing industry-leading wireless technology while meeting the highest standards of security.

The convergence of these best-of-breed technologies represents an aggressive step forward in the wireless industry and maximizes the value Fortress Technologies? products provide to customers by offering a highly optimized and open platform for high-performance, flexible, end to-end network protection. With security from Fortress any wireless network can be protected, even the most sensitive applications and environments like those found in highly regulated industries such as healthcare, financial and government.

"Year after year Fortress? performance has been phenomenal, our market leadership is proof of our ability to meet the needs of customers demanding high-assurance security," said Janet Kumpu, president and chief operating officer, Fortress Technologies. "We will continue to provide our customers with proven and innovative security solutions that enable them to grow, expand and develop wireless networks with the assurance that they are protected."

In addition to substantial product demand and valuable alliances, Fortress received industry accolades that further support its market leadership position. The company was recently awarded the esteemed 2004 Frost & Sullivan "Market Leadership of the Year Award" in the wireless LAN market, listed to FierceWiFi?s "The Fierce 15" as one of the top 15 emerging WLAN companies for 2005 and AirFortress was awarded the "Readers Trust" award for best wireless security solution at the SC Magazine 2004 Global Awards.

Recognizing Fortress? investment in strategic partnerships, Frost and Sullivan noted, "Fortress Technologies has strengthened its channel by allying with companies such as AirDefense, Enterasys and HP in order to reach a wider base of customers. Such initiatives have propelled Fortress Technologies into a market-leading position with more than a third of the revenues in the dedicated security appliances market space."

About Fortress Technologies

Fortress Technologies? product family offers flexible, market-proven security to address the risks and vulnerabilities of wireless networks. It is a trusted and easy-to-use security solution that supports and integrates with corporate wired assets and systems to ensure the business integrity demanded by the global 1000, government, financial, and health care organizations. Providing the highest level of commercially available wireless security, Fortress meets the government?s rigorous standards for wireless network security under the Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS 140) validation program. Fortress also is one of the only companies to offer end-to-end security consistent with the Department of Defense?s new directive for wireless devices and use.

Achieving market-leader status through deployments with the DoD, civilian agencies like the VA, and brand-name commercial accounts, Fortress is the recipient of the 2004 Frost and Sullivan "Market Leadership of the Year" award for wireless LAN security and received a 2004 SC Magazine "Readers Trust" award for best wireless security solution. Additional industry recognition includes Venture Reporter?s "20 Venture-backed Wireless Firms Most Likely to Succeed" and Federal Computer Week?s "10 Hot Companies to Watch." Fortress Technologies is headquartered in Tampa, Florida, with partners and resellers worldwide. For more information, contact us at info@fortresstech.com or call 813-288-7388.