Nokia Safeguards Arizona State University's Network

Purpose-Built Platform Integrating Check Point Software Becomes the Security Standard At Leading Academic Institution

TEMPE, AZ - August 26, 2002 - Arizona State University (ASU) has chosen Nokia's IP network security appliances integrating VPN-1®/FireWall-1® software from Check Point Software Technologies as its firewall and virtual private network (VPN) solution of choice.

ASU is a major metropolitan research institution, and, with more than 50,000 students from all 50 states and more than 120 countries, is one of the five largest public universities in the nation. With approximately 20 appliances deployed in multiple facilities at all four campuses, ASU has standardized the Nokia platform across all academic and administrative departments - allowing each to establish its own security policy as needed.

Prior to employing the Nokia solution, ASU depended on server-based solutions with general-purpose UNIX operating systems. This cumbersome and costly approach was difficult to manage and nearly impossible to scale across the institution due to the complexities involved.

"Servers are not designed for security, and that makes them difficult to configure, operate and maintain," stated Jack Hsu, manager of systems network management at ASU. "We evaluated a Nokia IP Series security appliance with Check Point VPN-1/FireWall-1 software for one week and were very pleased with the inherent security and remarkable ease of use of this purpose-built platform."

As a leading center for research and technological advancement, ASU maintains a fairly open policy regarding access to information. ASU's requirements call for the capability to set different security policies for various departments and applications. With Nokia's "plug-and-play" simplicity, ASU is able to deliver customized firewall and VPN solutions to individual departments as a managed service - all while upholding centralized control.

"The appliance is so simple to use, that during the week-long evaluation period we were able to create a complete standard operating procedure that is now used for individual departments when we implement their firewalls and VPNs, " commented Greg Wilson, systems programming principal at ASU. "There's no way we could achieve this with a general purpose server."

Nokia's centralized management tool, Horizon Manager, was critical in deploying a successful distributed security solution. The advanced management capabilities allow the ASU IT staff to configure different sets of rules for different firewalls, then administer them all centrally--with strong encryption to protect communications. ASU can also configure the appliances and distribute various policy updates to departments from remote locations.

Noted Wilson, "Unlike businesses, universities are unable to adopt a single security policy for all departments and applications. We could not distribute security appliances in this fashion without centralized management."

ASU leverages a variety of Nokia appliances to optimize the solution's cost effectiveness, including the high performance Nokia IP530 model for the traffic-intensive data center, which delivers 500Mbps of firewall throughput. Its VPN intranet for administrative applications based on Check Point's VPN-1 offering has been so well received, ASU is now deploying a load-balanced pair of Nokia IP650 appliances as a VPN gateway to allow users access from their homes and other off-campus sites.

"ASU faced an all-too-familiar challenge in attempting to sustain a server-based security approach," said Dan MacDonald, vice president of product management and marketing, Nokia Internet Communications. "By combining a purpose-built, inherently secure platform with Check Point's firewall and VPN technology, Nokia has made available a comprehensive, easily-managed system to address security for the needs of any organization. We look forward to our continued working relationship with ASU as the university grows and expands."

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About Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a major metropolitan research university, and is internationally known for its high-quality academic and research programs. More than 50,000 students from all states and more than 120 countries enroll at ASU each year, bringing their diverse thoughts, cultures and backgrounds to the university's scholarly environment. By matching university talents and expertise with the vision of community and industry leaders, ASU provides indispensable research and support to address the major issues affecting the quality of life in the Valley of the Sun, the state of Arizona, and throughout the nation.

About Nokia Internet Communications
Nokia Internet Communications, headquartered in Mountain View, California, provides world-class Network Security, Virtual Private Network and Internet Traffic and Content Management solutions that ensure the security and reliability of corporate enterprise and managed service provider networks. Nokia is committed to enhancing the end user experience by bringing a new level of security and reliability to the network, enabling an Internet transaction that is personal and trusted-each and every time.

For more information, please visit www.nokia.com and click on Secure Network Solutions. Nokia Internet security and virtual private network appliances span the spectrum of price/performance points, and secure the widest range of network environments-from the smallest branch office to the largest Internet data center. The expansive product line, backed by world-class global support and services, provides customers the ability to deploy multiple solutions from a single product to secure all elements of a distributed enterprise.

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications. Backed by its experience, innovation, user-friendliness and secure solutions, the company has become the leading supplier of mobile phones and a leading supplier of mobile, fixed broadband and IP networks. By adding mobility to the Internet, Nokia creates new opportunities for companies and further enriches the daily lives of people. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on six major exchanges.

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