Sunbelt Software names leading security expert Joe Wells as chief scientist

Respected developer and researcher adds to companyıs malware research and development initiatives

Worcester, UK, 18th January 2005 ­ Sunbelt System Software, the leading provider of Windows system administration tools and enterprise security solutions, today announces the appointment of Joseph Wells to the position of chief scientist, security research. Mr. Wells joins Eric Howes, director of malware research, as the second widely recognised security expert to join Sunbeltıs research and development team in January. In his new role, Wells will be responsible for developing methods to combat complex types of spyware and other threats.

Previously the chief antivirus architect at Fortinet, Wells is widely known for his work in research and development of security software. He developed his first product, a virus/Trojan detector, in 1988. Since then, he has made numerous technical contributions to the industry while working for Certus International, Symantec's Peter Norton Group, IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center and Cybersoft. Joe was also CEO at WarLab, a subsidiary of Trend Micro. A prolific writer, Wells has authored over 60 technical articles and scientific papers in the field of security research and has been the chief editor at two online technical journals. He is best known as the Founder of the WildList Organization International (WLO), the single largest cooperative project in the antivirus world.

We are very excited to have Joe join our team," said Alex Eckelberry, president at Sunbelt Software. "He is a tremendous asset to the further development of the CounterSpy product line by enhancing the mechanisms used to protect our customers from a variety of malware threats.

The threat to users has grown exponentially more complex since I analysed my first virus, said Wells. Now, and in the future, users face wider, more technically sophisticated and often blended threats. I am thrilled by this opportunity to join the outstanding team at Sunbelt and to aid in the research and development of security technologies for the threats of today and tomorrow.

About Sunbelt System Software
Established in 1983, Sunbelt System Software is the first and largest provider of 'best-of-breed' Windows system administration tools and enterprise solutions, supplying the tools necessary to support a Windows 2000/2003 corporate infrastructure. As well as being a software developer Sunbelt has a long history of working in partnership with innovative software developers like NSI. Sunbelt System Software produces and distributes leading edge utilities and provides mainframe quality technical support.