News Releases

Tokyo, Japan, Sept 26, 2005 - HitachiSoft and US-based NetIQ are pleased to announce an agreement giving HitachiSoft the rights to develop, localize and market the NetIQ "Firewall Suite" and "Security Reporting Center" solutions, packaged software products which report on the activity and status of firewall and proxy products. Following this agreement, HitachiSoft will assume the business of NetIQ K.K., and represent the two solutions in Japan from September 26, 2005.

It is extremely important for IT managers to have an ongoing understanding of activity on the corporate network, and to keep in mind the effective use of networking assets in order to prevent unauthorized external entry to the network or leakage of corporate information by employees before it can happen.

"Security Reporting Center" and "Firewall Suite" are software packages that analyze logs generated by firewall and proxy products and provide visual information enabling IT managers to maintain ongoing understanding of activity on the corporate network, and control an effective use of networking assets which prevent unauthorized external entry to the network or leakage of corporate information by employees before it can happen. Time effective, these software packages offer the IT manager a real-time understanding of his network without increasing his workload. Firewall security can be strengthened based on external-attack risk analysis, for example, or on-going monitoring of unauthorized network access by employees can lead to the implementation of new security measures. Also, through analysis of network bandwidth usage or traffic conditions over time, resources can be distributed and network assets used more effectively.

Until present, NetIQ K.K. has been conducting sales and support of these packages in Japan, which hold top rank in terms of market share in the firewall and network device log reporting fields, according to the 2004 research from the Fuji Kimera Research Institute. With acquisition of the sales rights from NetIQ Corporation, HitachiSoft is expecting to have sales of 1000 licenses in the first year. Initially they will continue sales with the current product line, but HitachiSoft plan the release of an enhanced, re-branded version in January, 2006, with additional, enriched and user-friendly products in the future.

Following this agreement, distributors have commented positively. "We are looking forward to product development, support and competitive products from HitachiSoft that can meet customers' needs and desires even more flexibly as the Japanese market continues to the spread of the Internet," said Asgent Inc.

Forval Creative said "Given HitachiSoft's proven sales record and support system, Forval Creative has high hopes for the combination, including development and production of products adaptable to the needs of domestic users, and the integration of these new products with other HitachiSoft security and network products."

[Sales channels] Through distributors

Hitachi Software Engineering Co. Ltd. was established in 1970 as the first software development company in the Hitachi Group and we are now among the leading IT service companies in the industry. We mainly deal with basic software for mainframe computers and large-scale systems and networks for government agencies as well as the financial, insurance, and securities industries. Over the past 30 years, we have enjoyed steadily increasing success, pursuing our goal of becoming the industry's leading company. We have also established international leadership in Multimedia Technology, GIS, Bio Informatics Products, and High Level Security Software both in the US and Europe. For more information. please visit http://hitachisoft.jp/.

As the leading provider of system monitoring and security management solutions, NetIQ makes use of their accumulated knowledge and experience in these areas by providing support which enables the provision of stable IT services. Using the integrated modular products that NetIQ provides, enterprises can maintain integrated user operation and convenience, handle service and manage risk effectively, and achieve policy compliance. NetIQ, with headquarters in San Jose, California, has 1000 employees in offices and development facilities in 16 countries around the world. Over 3000 companies have installed NetIQ products as enterprise customers around the world. NetIQ Japan, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of NetIQ Corporation.

President's office:
Mr. Takahashi,
Ms. Takano
Tel: +81-3-5780-6450
e-mail: press@hitachisoft.jp

NetIQ Inc. (Representative)
Tel.: +81-3-5909-5400
e-mail:info-japan@netiq.com

*The official name of HitachiSoft is Hitachi Software Engineering Co.Ltd.
*Other company or product names appearing here are trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective companies.