Foundry Supports Microsoft's NAP

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Foundry Networks®, Inc., (Nasdaq: FDRY - News) a performance and total solutions leader for end-to-end switching and routing, today announced it will support Network Access Protection (NAP) technology from Microsoft, an extensible, standards-based secure access solution, as a critical part of Foundry's end-to-end network security architecture. In addition to enhancing anywhere access for users, Network Access Protection technology provides a secure solution designed to reduce the complexity of building a secure network infrastructure including access to any network resource.

Foundry will work closely with Microsoft to ensure integration of Network Access Protection technology with Foundry's line of award-winning, high-performance secure network infrastructure products. "IT administrators have told us that managing user access to their corporate resources in a safe and secure manner is a major concern," said Steve Anderson, director in the Windows Server Group at Microsoft Corp. "Network Access Protection technology has garnered support from industry leaders like Foundry Networks because it will help customers lower the cost of access management while simultaneously providing them with more control."

Available in an update release of Windows Server 2003 (codenamed R2), Network Access Protection technology delivers a uniform method for detecting the "health state" of a client attempting to connect to a network; restricting the access until compliance to policy is validated, and updating the client to current security policy levels.

"Foundry's vision of a secure network includes versatile and policy-driven network access at the edge. Our work with Microsoft through the Network Access Protection program will ensure a robust and closed-loop security solution to our customers," said Ken Cheng, senior vice president and general manager of Foundry's LAN Switching and Internet Routing Business Unit.

Foundry Networks Inc.