Delivers Ease-of-Use and Ease-of-Deployment for SOHO Market;
Ideal Companion for LanRover Access Switch at Corporate Enterprise
or Internet Points of Presence
BEDFORD, Mass., June 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Shiva Corporation (Nasdaq: SHVA) today announced the Shiva AccessPort(TM) ISDN client router, an easy-to-use and install, high-performance remote access client system with Windows-based management designed for the small office/home office (SOHO) and branch office user. Shiva also announced that two of its strategic partners, Nortel and IBM, will resell the AccessPort via an OEM program.
Shiva AccessPort, with one Basic Rate Interface (BRI) connection, provides both ISDN and integrated telephony support in a single cost- effective architecture to access corporate LANs, the Internet and other public networks. It is interoperable with central site ISDN access servers including products from Ascend, Cisco and Gandalf and provides enhanced connections to the Shiva LanRover Access Switch(TM), ShivaIntegrator(TM) 500, IBM 8235-I40 and Nortel RAPPORT Dial-up Switch. Unlike other ISDN client routers, the AccessPort focuses on delivering ease-of-use and minimizing cost of ownership.
"Customers are enthusiastic about Shiva's remote networking strategy as it applies to servers, switches and client software. We focus on extreme ease-of-use and installation for the end user and network manager, and on lowering operating costs for the corporation or service provider," said Frank Ingari, chairman and CEO at Shiva Corp. "With the AccessPort client router, we are delivering those same benefits to small office and home users who want access to the increased bandwidth of ISDN with all the cost saving features of Shiva's Tariff Management technology."
Focus on Ease-of-Use and Low Cost of Ownership
Shiva AccessPort is designed to provide a remote access solution that is easy-to-use for the non-technical home office user. It includes an intelligent Windows Install Wizard, a user-friendly application which guides even the most non-technical user through the installation process. Presented in a simple, easy-to-understand method, the AccessPort includes full on-line text and multimedia help.
The AccessPort also provides ease-of-use features for the network manager. A standard configuration can be locally or remotely downloaded by the network manager to batch install or upgrade AccessPorts deployed to home users. The AccessPort can also be configured to automatically update a central management system via SNMP easing the management burden for large ISDN internetworks.
The AccessPort includes Tariff Management(TM) features such as spoofing and virtual connections that help control ISDN costs and ensure low cost of ownership for the end user. Virtual connections allow users to take advantage of ISDN's fast call set-up times and high performance while minimizing WAN connect-time costs by only keeping links active when actual data is being sent. Further differentiating the AccessPort, routing and compression features are shipped with the product at no extra charge. The graphical AccessPort Monitor provides real-time cost management for monitoring usage of the ISDN and telephone lines. This includes connection status, call activity and configuration overviews. With the AccessPort Monitor, users are able to see the Tariff Management features at work.
Interoperability with Central Site Remote Access Solutions
Combined with the LanRover Access Switch(TM) (see June 3, 1996 release), Shiva's large-scale analog and ISDN remote access platform, or ShivaIntegrator 500 (see December 12, 1995 release), Shiva's central site ISDN LAN-to-LAN remote access system, the AccessPort provides a key solution for central sites and client deployment. With the tight interoperability of these products, telecommuters and small branch office users can connect to the central site and the Internet as well as other public networks. Additionally, AccessPort can interoperate with any standards-based ISDN access solution available on the market, making it an ideal end-to-end solution for all ISPs, regardless of their installed remote access platform.
"Shiva's AccessPort was the only ISDN router that was compatible not only with our enterprise system but also with our ISP's system," said Ger Huveneers, systems specialist, Daewoo Motor Benelux. "We needed an ISDN router with a focus on ease-of-use and cost control that would enable us to continue as a leader in our market. AccessPort, with Tariff Management, graphical set-up and deployment features, and standards-based interoperability, provides us with the solution we sought."
A Single Solution for the SOHO Market
The AccessPort is a single communications device with one BRI connection and two telephone lines for telephone and fax connections. A single box allows the SOHO user to connect to the Internet, the corporate LAN, or any other network through the BRI line. AccessPort features for the SOHO market include:
-- IP multihoming that allows each B channel to access a different network providing the flexibility to simultaneously access two locations.
-- call bumping that enables the AccessPort to drop a data channel when a line is needed for an analog telephone call or fax and consequently re-establishes the data channel when the analog call is complete.
-- call routing that ensures that the right call is transmitted to the correct analog device.
"Today's customers, particularly small-business professionals, are inundated with products linked to the information highway and are calling out for user-friendly solutions," said Gary McAnally, general manager of Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Workgroup Networks Division. "We see Shiva's AccessPort as an answer to that call, and HP is looking forward to continuing to work with Shiva to bring new products that offer complete, simple, cost-effective solutions to our customers."
Optimized Performance and Security
Shiva AccessPort is designed to provide the high performance demanded by the SOHO market. As the necessary link for the SOHO user to the Internet, online services and the corporate LAN, the AccessPort features both IP and IPX routing. It also supports simultaneous bridging of protocols including IP, IPX, AppleTalk, and NetBEUI. The two ISDN B channels can be aggregated using Multilink PPP for 128 Kbps throughput, and STAC compression is available to provide up to 512 Kbps with a 4:1 compression rate.
"Nortel's RAPPORT Dial-up Switch is fully interoperable with the AccessPort," said Mickey Tsui, assistant vice president, Internet Solutions, Nortel. "We see the complementary technology of the AccessPort and the RAPPORT Dial-up Switch as an opportunity for us to provide our customers, ISPs, carriers, and large enterprises with a complete solution for their businesses."
"We are excited that our newly announced IBM 8235-I40 DIALs Switch will be fully compatible with the Shiva AccessPort," said John M. Baltz, product line manager for Remote LAN Access, Networking Hardware Division, IBM Corp. "Our customers who implement the DIALs Switch will now be able to provide their users a world class ISDN client router giving them remote access to their network computing resources including both intranet and Internet access."
Security is a key concern for users since the AccessPort can be used to access public and private networks. AccessPort provides a wide range of security options at the call, packet and client levels. Some security options include callback, Caller Line Identification, PAP and CHAP, IP filtering, IPX SAP filtering and third-party single user authentication systems including Security Dynamics, Digital Pathways, TACACS, and RADIUS.
Pricing and Availability
Shiva AccessPort will be available this summer from Shiva resellers and distributors. For U.S. markets, AccessPort will have a suggested list price of $995. International pricing is determined on a country- by-country basis.
Founded in 1985, Shiva Corporation is a global, full-line provider of remote access solutions, systems, and services. Its products enable users and user sites at enterprises of all sizes to connect with corporate information resources, on-line services and the Internet. Shiva offers a full range of award-winning, analog and digital remote access and communications servers. With partnerships that include Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Microsoft, Netscape, Motorola and Nortel, Shiva hardware and software are marketed by many of the world's leading computer and communications equipment manufacturers and telecommunications companies. The company is based in Bedford, Mass., with offices worldwide and a corporate R&D and manufacturing center in Edinburgh, U.K.
NOTE: All Shiva news releases are available via the Shiva Corp. World Wide Web site http://www.Shiva.com or via CompuServe (GO SHIVA). The electronic services provide an easy way to find information about all Shiva products and services. For additional information, Shiva can be accessed by E-mail at sales@shiva.com.
Shiva, Shiva with design (the company logo), NetModem, NetModem/E, NetBridge, NetSerial, TeleBridge, Hublet, LanRover, Spider and EtherGate are registered trademarks of Shiva Corporation. ShivaPPP, ShivOS, Tariff Management, isdn, ShivaPort, ShivaIntegrator, WebRover, ShivaRemote, Shiva Dial-In SDK, AccessPort, and LanRover Access Switch are trademarks of Shiva Corporation. All other trademarks belong to their respective companies.
-0- 6/12/96
/CONTACT: Kathleen Haley of Lois Paul & Partners, 617-238-5732 or kathleen_haley@lpp.com/
(SHVA)
CO: Shiva Corporation ST: Massachusetts IN: CPR SU: PDT
SB -- NEW004 -- 2256 06/12/96 08:43 EDT
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