Ipswitch, Inc. Announces Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional

Major Update of Popular Network Management Solution Delivers Expanded Functionality and Improved Usability for Mid-sized Businesses

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LEXINGTON, MA - November 10, 2004
Ipswitch, Inc., the leading developer of network management, messaging and file transfer solutions for small and medium businesses, today announced the immediate availability of Ipswitch WhatsUp® Professional. Developed as the next generation successor to Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold, Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional features a redesigned and enhanced architecture which delivers both improved ease of use and improved network monitoring. With Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional, and its many new and improved capabilities, users will be able to monitor and manage vital data networks as never before, ensuring optimum availability and performance.

As networks at mid-sized companies become more complex, it becomes increasingly critical that network and IT managers are able to continuously monitor the status of network devices, security events and service performance levels. However, network management products designed for large enterprises typically overburden medium-sized businesses with complexity and high administrative costs. Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional provides these organizations with a comprehensive, easy to implement and easy to use network management solution.

“Computing networks have become increasingly dynamic, so businesses should look for a network monitoring solution that’s able to immediately contribute to the management of that growing and critical business resource,” said Dennis Drogseth, vice president at analyst firm Enterprise Management Associates. “Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional’s flexible architecture delivers alerts, performance and health information for a broader range of devices with much enhanced network services. Mid-sized businesses and enterprise departments require this combination of easy deployment and effective monitoring to maintain productivity.”

Key Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional features include:

• Detailed monitoring and customizable network topography: SNMP SmartScan, ICMP discovery or Host File imports automatically provide a customizable network map. Monitoring has been completely rearchitected in WhatsUp Professional and runs as a Windows® service separate from the user’s monitoring console. A new Explorer-style interface enables easy navigation, and centralized polling eliminates the amount of network traffic needed to monitor the network. Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional offers superior monitoring of device status, service availability, Windows events, SNMP traps and much more.
• Enhanced monitoring and alerting: Intelligent alerts – such as maintenance identification, SNMP Trap forwarding and customized alerts by device or service – enable IT managers to eliminate false notifications and to take corrective action based on the type of problem detected.
• Secure remote access: Users may choose from either a new integrated Web server and/or the Microsoft® IIS to access network status and information from any Internet-enabled device. New 128-bit SSL encryption and user authentication options address increased security demands.
• Scalable data storage and integrated reporting: SQL database support provides easy access to large amounts of asset information for management and reporting capabilities. Fully integrated and customizable HTML reports on devices, service availability and network performance help identify brewing network threats before they become problems.

“In developing Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional, Ipswitch focused on delivering both ease of use and completeness in a thoroughly updated and modernized network management architecture,” said Mary Beth Westmoreland, vice president of R&D, Ipswitch, Inc. “Extensive pre-release usability and the experience gained from the 40,000 networks monitored by WhatsUp Gold have resulted in a new standard for network monitoring products. We are confident users will immediately benefit from the many sophisticated new capabilities in Ipswitch WhatsUp Professional.”

Pricing and Availability

WhatsUp Professional replaces WhatsUp Gold and is available from Ipswitch and partners for a list price of $1,495 which includes a one-year service agreement. Current WhatsUp Gold customers with active service agreements will automatically receive WhatsUp Professional. WhatsUp Gold customers without active service agreements can upgrade for $995 with a 60-day discounted rate of $695. Ipswitch will fully support WhatsUp Gold for 12 months.

About Ipswitch, Inc.

Ipswitch develops and markets practical software products in 44 countries worldwide, providing maximum impact for businesses and consumers. More than 100 million people use highly popular Ipswitch software every day, to quickly and easily send e-mail and instant messages (Ipswitch Collaboration Suite), monitor their networks (WhatsUp®), and transfer files over the Internet (WS_FTP). In addition to creating software solutions that address the needs of today’s IT businesses, Ipswitch extends its corporate focus to benefit the community. Ipswitch invites others to join its efforts to end child poverty at icare.ipswitch.com. For product and sales information, please contact our sales team.

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