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To: Riskmgmt who wrote (8609)	6/26/2000 10:43:00 AM
From: Riskmgmt	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 9068

NEW YORK, June 26 (Reuters) - Security systems maker Check Point Software Technologies Ltd. (NasdaqNM:CHKP - news) on Monday released the next step in software to allow different parts of a company's private virtual network to share the same security information. Check Point's Secure Virtual Network Phase II will allow companies whose different software systems perform different functions -- such as customer management and inventory information -- to work from the same list of users, said Phil Schacter, director of network strategy services at The Burton Group, a research firm. The new software will allow each programme on a system to see what identified user is permitted to do and the information the user is allowed to see. ``They're taking the concept of virtual private network and extending it,'' Schacter said. ``It allows (company systems) to take the identity information they collect and manage it so other applications can make decisions on what services to grant that user.'' The Israeli company is the market leader in virtual private networks -- those operated by corporations or any other large enterprise who run their networks over the Internet rather than building one with dedicated communications lines and equipment. Shares of Check Point Friday closed at 213-5/8. The company's 52-week high was 295, its low 25-1/4. The new SVN Phase II is being tested by a small group of users and is due in about a month, said Spokesman Steve Schick. The company does not expect it to generate significant direct revenues for about 18 months, he said. However, just the availability will reinforce Check Point's strength in the security arena, Schick said. ``We think it does make a significant impact on current sales and reaffirms our leadership in Internet security and this whole secure infrastructure for e-business,'' he said. Greg Smith, Check Point's director of product marketing said the new product puts different applications together under the same secure umbrella. ``We're providing the glue,'' he said. ``We're allowing companies with different applications to perform these connections even if they're using different security pieces because we'll integrate it in one central location. I may have several applications that I want to make available to my partners. But I also want to secure those applications, and I want to make sure I protect the data.'' The new product is another step in the competitive area of security that will allow different companies to do business with each other over the Internet, sharing parts of each other's information. Still the partners each would have to use the Check Point system, Schacter said. The new security system allows the permitted users entree into a system and also encrypts the correspondence between users once they're in the system. ``What Check Point has done is taken this information they collect when a user logs in and provided an api -- application programming interface -- in a way for a programme to communicate information to another,'' he said. Other security makers, such as Cisco Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CSCO - news) and Network Associates Inc. (NasdaqNM:NETA - news) also are vying for the same market, Schacter said. However, Check Point has first strike advantage and partners who are the leaders in the business network and software arenas: Oracle Corp.(NasdaqNM:ORCL - news) International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE:IBM - news), BroadVision Inc. (NasdaqNM:BVSN - news), VeriSign Inc. (NasdaqNM:VRSN - news) and Citrix Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:CTXS - news).