PALO ALTO, Calif. -- Packet Design, Inc., developer of IP network appliances, has signed an agreement naming Toyo Corporation of Tokyo as the exclusive distributor of its products in Japan.

Toyo's Information and Communications Technologies Group will distribute Packet Design's Route Explorer to enterprises and service providers in the Japanese market. Route Explorer, introduced in 2002, is a route analytics tool that looks into the IP network "cloud," gathering, displaying and analyzing routing-path information to enable earlier detection and faster resolution of IP problems.

"Toyo is known for successfully bringing many best-of-breed U.S. networking technologies to Japan's IT community," said Doug Brent, Packet Design CEO. "They have developed a specialization in the network management segment with such products as Network Associates' Sniffer and Spirent Communications' network testers. This track record and Toyo's well-known technical and training expertise will be invaluable as Route Explorer makes inroads into the Japanese market."

"Japanese IT professionals are focused strongly on operational efficiency," said Koichiro Fukumoto, Toyo president and CEO. "By providing full visibility into layer 3 routing operations for the first time, Route Explorer solves a pressing problem, addressing the difficulty of diagnosing IP-layer network problems and helping to resolve those problems much sooner."

As part of its sales efforts around Route Explorer, Toyo will provide support, training, product localization, collateral and documentation, and consulting services.

Route Explorer previously has been sold through Packet Design's direct sales force in the U.S. and abroad. The company expects to announce additional distribution agreements for other Asian markets this year.

Packet Design Inc.