Portsmouth, USA - 16 April, 2002 (PRN):Biodata, a world leader in network and communication security, is proud to announce that Promptus Communications, Inc., has signed an agreement to become Biodata's first certified strategic distribution partner. The agreement covers worldwide sales and support.

"The key to this alliance is the fact that Promptus will not only act as a master distributor for our products, but will be an integral part of our entire Biodata team especially for worldwide support," said Claus Platen, CEO Biodata Systems GmbH. "This strategic alliance with Promptus provides us with a high-growth partner that is a strong player in a billion dollar and rapidly-expanding market. We chose Promptus for its excellent track record of expertise, support and reach to international and Fortune 500 customers, Platen went on to say.

Biodata's modular Babylon encryption equipment provides multinational corporations, finance institutions, and government agencies with secure encryption for a variety of telecommunications, including voice, data, fax, e-mail, and videoconferencing. Biodata's BIGfire systems offer firewall protection for PCs, local networks, and for company-wide communications.

Multimedia Security - A Key User Focus

More than ever, governments and businesses around the world recognize that there are new potential threats to their organizations. They're working hard to enhance their security functions in all areas of IT generally, and interactive video communications in particular.

Security of video communications has been a long-term issue that frequently concerns existing videoconferencing users, owners, operators and prospective system buyers.

In recent months, which have seen a major surge in videoconferencing usage, many more questions are being asked about the security of conference calls, particularly those placed over public switched-digital networks.

Building on Strengths

For the past thirteen years, Promptus has delivered advanced switched-digital access solutions for videoconferencing applications throughout the World. The Company has gained respect for its robust, advanced products, the quality and responsiveness of its sales and support, and its comprehensive understanding of the videoconferencing market.

Now, Promptus is complementing those strengths by providing videoconferencing networks with the most effective weapons against external attacks.

Biodata's Babylon Encryption Devices combined with Promptus's Inverse-Multiplexers, Bandwidth Managers, Switches and Converters deliver robust, tested and compatible secure multimedia access solutions.

"By teaming up with Biodata in an exponentially growing market, we profit from significant synergy effects", said Michael Smith, CEO Promptus Communications, Inc. "For pre-existing networks or installations of new ones, network administrators and systems-integrators can deploy these solutions with confidence, knowing that the information and material transmitted during their video conferencing sessions is secure from hostile intrusion and eavesdropping."

About Biodata:

Biodata is a global provider of cryptographic and data encryption devices as well as network and communications technology products. The company's encryption and protection portfolio includes Internet firewalls ("BIGfire") and data encryption products ("Babylon") for leased-line, switched-digital and ISDN telecommunications networks. With Babylon, Biodata is the world market leader in ISDN encryption.

Headquartered in Germany, Biodata offers support and distribution via direct international offices and strategic relationships throughout the world.

About Promptus:

Promptus Communications designs, manufactures, markets and supports a wide range of products for the network access market. The products provide on-demand access to high-speed digital networks and combine hardware with standards-compliant software designed to work in open environments.

The products serve applications including Inverse-Multiplexing, Bandwidth Management, Switching, Extension/Conversion and Encryption. Headquartered in the USA, Promptus is represented through direct offices in The Americas, Australia (Asia-Pacific Headquarters), and New Zealand.

For more information, contact:

Gary Koelsch
Vice President Sales
Promptus Communications, Inc
207 High Point Avenue
Portsmouth, RI 02871
USA
Tel. 401-683-6100
Fax. 401-683-6105
http://www.promptus.com
Email: gkoelsch@promptus.com

Colin McDonald
Marketing Manager
Promptus Communications Pty Ltd
119 Willoughby Road
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Tel. +61 (0)2 9956 3860
Fax. +61 (0)2 9888 6708
Email: cmcdonald@promptus.com

Dr. Steffen Achenbach
Marketing Manager
Biodata Systems GmbH
Hamburg Office
Rothenbaumchaussee 3
20148 Hamburg
Germany
Tel. +49 (0)40 / 4130 8188
Fax. +49 (0)40 / 4149 8307
Email: steffen.achenbach@biodata.com

Biodata Systems GmbH
Unternehmenspark Nord
Otto-Stoelcker-Straße 21 P
D-35066 Frankenberg
Germany
Tel: +49 (0)6451 / 2302-0
Fax: +49 (0)6451 / 2301-109

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