Tuesday, 9 November 2004 12:24 EST

Westboro, MA, November 09, 2004 - Top Layer Networks (www.TopLayer.com), a provider of globally proven intrusion prevention solutions, today announced it has partnered with OpenService to deliver the first IPS management product with an integrated Security Information Management engine. Most organizations lack proper enterprise-wide visibility into the state of their network security and as a result are unable to cope with highly adaptive security threats. This unique technology integration enables seamless identification, analysis and resolution of increasingly distributed and dynamic attacks that threaten the availability and security of business-critical services. This breakthrough approach delivers faster threat recognition and response, unlike other IPS vendors that simply send syslog or SNMP information to 3rd party management solutions, thereby leaving the problem in the hands of the IT administrator.

In the development of SecureCommandTM, Top Layer and OpenService have jointly developed a Rapid Threat Recognition and Response Engine. This technology runs on Top Layer’s management appliance and accepts unique security state information, as well as traditional inputs (event and syslog data) from any number of Top Layer’s Attack Mitigator IPS 5500s. Since Top Layer maintains the most state information of any IPS vendor, the data offers greater value in providing more intelligent responses to increasing threats. In using OpenService’s powerful risk-based correlation and analysis, IT administrators have more concise information with which to counter dynamic threats and quickly provision their IPS 5500s with a single button-click.

“Keeping systems safe from hacker intrusions is an ongoing challenge. Most IT organizations manage their network Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) and other security devices as discrete, siloed entities. The consequent lack of a holistic view of the network's health and security status makes it much harder to successfully detect, analyze and mitigate the emerging wave of distributed, highly-adaptive security attacks,” according to Jim Slaby, senior analyst, the Yankee Group.

“Top Layer’s vision extends beyond traditional centralized IPS management, giving you not only enterprise-wide visibility, but also the ability to react immediately to security threats. SecureCommand, utilizing the Rapid Threat Recognition and Response Engine, achieves unparalleled protection by providing IT administrators a powerful solution to immediately counter distributed and dynamic attacks. SecureCommand’s capabilities are possible through the unmatched integration of Top Layer’s industry-leading Intrusion Prevention Systems and OpenService’s unique SIM capabilities,” says Mike Paquette, VP of product marketing and management at Top Layer Networks.

The Rapid Threat Recognition and Response Engine performs the following:

• Data Collection and Event Management: Processes event, log data and other unique information from distributed IPS. This unique data provides greater context which results in more intelligent threat assessment

• Threat Analysis and Response Engine: Performs specialized risk-based analysis that provides more accurate recognition and allows for focused response to threats

• IPS Provisioning: The security posture of one or more IPS are provisioned with the appropriate focused response

For the first time, there is a way to centrally manage an entire security infrastructure, eliminate false positives, respond quickly to threats and understand how distributed and dynamic threats may jeopardize an IT environment. Each IPS is finally able to adapt its protection against constantly changing, distributed attacks targeting multiple fronts. Each IPS is no longer the lone warrior.

Business Benefits
• Allows for rapid and focused response on increasingly dynamic and complex security threats
• Provides single-screen visibility into the health of the IPS infrastructure
• Assigns business context to security events, so you can prioritize corrective action based on business impacts
• Proactively alerts when a distributed attack is threatening critical assets
• Manages security infrastructure end-to-end rather than as individual product “silos”

About the Attack Mitigator IPS 5500
The Attack Mitigator IPS 5500 family offers the strongest levels of protection, performance and reliability on the market today. By improving upon the most powerful characteristics of stateful inspection firewall technology and intrusion detection systems, Top Layer has developed the IPS 5500 in order to protect against attacks real-time with minimal interruption of legitimate traffic. Top Layer executes high performance, non-disruptive full content inspection and analysis coupled with intelligent blocking of attacks through TopFire™ second-generation ASIC technology and TopInspect™ Deep Packet Inspection.

For more information about the Attack Mitigator IPS, network Intrusion Prevention System, visit http://www.toplayer.com/content/products/intrusion_detection/attack_mitigator.jsp

For more information on Open and the joint relationship, please visit www.open.com/toplayer

About Top Layer Networks, Inc.
Founded in 1997, Top Layer Networks (http://www.TopLayer.com) develops network security solutions that enable enterprises worldwide to protect their infrastructure and critical online assets from cyber threats. The Company’s patented, ASIC-based products are engineered to deliver accurate and reliable protection mechanisms while operating as robust in-line network devices. Top Layer Networks is headquartered in Westboro, Massachusetts with sales and support presence in Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

About OpenService, Inc.
Open is the leader in network security management software. Our enterprise management software solutions employ highly distributed architectures to collect, monitor, consolidate and correlate millions of network and security events per day, in real time. Enterprise customers using Open's software include many of the Fortune 500. For more information, please call or visit (http://www.open.com).

Contact:
Donna Rogers
Top Layer
Phone: 508=-870-1300 x127
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Matt Flanagan
Fama PR
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