BorderWare and Marconi Form Strategic OEM Relationship

Aug. 15, 2005
Marconi to offer ViPr SIP Firewall 'Powered by BorderWare' utilizing SIPassure for ViPr Virtual Presence System

Toronto and London - BorderWare Technologies Inc., the leading provider of messaging security solutions, and Marconi Corporation plc (London: MONI and Nasdaq: MRCIY), today announced a strategic original equipment manufacturer (OEM) licensing relationship. Under the agreement, Marconi's Data Networks division will license BorderWare's SIPassure(TM) SIP Firewall, which has been optimized for the Marconi ViPr(TM) Virtual Presence system. The ViPr SIP Firewall "Powered by BorderWare," will be available as a separate system for existing ViPr customers, as well as new customers who want to benefit from campus-to-campus high-resolution video conferencing and multimedia collaboration across private or public networks.

Superior Security and Quality of Service
With this agreement, Marconi ViPr customers can take advantage of world-class security functionality for multicast network address translation (NAT) traversal, port translation, and comprehensive defense against application-layer network vulnerabilities. Customers benefit from seamless security, availability, and reliability, including advanced protection against network and application layer threats. It also supports stateful inspection and packet filtering with rules and caller authentication services for inbound and outbound connections.

"Customers are expanding their use of the ViPr Virtual Presence system and want to leverage their investments across private and public networks," said Keith Huthmacher, director of ViPr products for Marconi. "Until now, there has not been adequate application security to engage in multicast campus-to-campus video conferencing and communications. With ViPr SIP Firewall 'Powered by BorderWare,' our customers will have the added security they require, as well as the session availability they demand."

Why ViPr SIP Firewall?
Session Initiation Protocol, or SIP, is a standards-based protocol (based on RFC 3261) that enables and manages streaming communications using Transmission Control, User Datagram and Real-time Protocols for transport. Emerging applications that use the SIP protocol include Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), video conferencing, instant messaging, presence-based collaborative applications and 3G cellular services.

Though perimeter firewalls provide basic pinholing, allowing SIP traffic to pass through, they do not provide comprehensive SIP security, and offer no protection at the application layer. Similarly, existing session border controllers (SBCs) provide NAT traversal and port translation capabilities, but do not feature in depth application-layer security.

"Marconi is a widely recognized expert in converged networks and communication, and they recognize that customers require highly secure communications across WANs," said Tim Leisman, CEO of BorderWare Technologies. "By using SIPassure, Marconi customers can feel confident knowing they are protected right up to the application layer against a range of threats that are inherent in IP-based communications. BorderWare is committed to making Internet communications safe and this partnership demonstrates how we work to secure market-leading applications."