Network Utilities announces Support for WPA2™ in Odyssey® Client

Network Utilities (Systems) Ltd, a leading provider of network access security solutions, today announced UK availability of Odyssey Client v4.0, an upgrade to their secure 802.1X access client.

Odyssey Client v4.0 includes support for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), the next generation of Wi-Fi security, based on the final 802.11i standard (ratified by the IEEE in 2004).

WPA2 offers the strongest available security in the form of AES-level encryption (Advanced Encryption Standard), plus faster roaming between access points.

Odyssey Client v4.0 also adds support for the WLAN protocols EAP-FAST and EAP-SIM and Microsoft machine credentials.

"WPA2 makes WLAN deployment safe and answers the concerns of even the most security-conscious enterprises," said Michele Lewington, managing director of Network Utilities. "Odyssey Client is not only the most secure 802.1X client, it is also the easiest to deploy and use across the entire enterprise – significantly reducing overhead and support costs – making it the lowest TCO 802.1X access client available."

WPA2 is based on the encryption algorithm AES; its predecessor, Wi-Fi Protected Access™ (WPA™) uses the encryption algorithm TKIP. (Odyssey Client has supported WPA since July 2003.)

In addition to AES-based data security, WPA2 permits 802.1X authentication in either ad-hoc mode or in traditional infrastructure networks, and accelerates re-authentication using key caching and pre-authentication techniques.
A complete WLAN security solution based on WPA2 includes Odyssey Client v4.0, an 802.1X-compatible RADIUS server (such as Funk Software’s Odyssey Server or Steel-Belted Radius®) and WPA2-compatible WLAN equipment. This complete system provides the following safeguards to enterprises deploying WLAN access:

Access control ensures that only authorised users can connect to the network, blocking access by users who are not listed in the enterprise security database. In addition, through strong mutual authentication of client and server, the system ensures that WLAN users can only connect to a legal network;

Complete credential (password or token) security is provided over the wireless link when a strong authentication method such as EAP-TTLS is used. This provides total security for enterprise user names and passwords or tokens, preventing credential theft, as users traverse the wireless link;

Data privacy is afforded by the WPA2 encryption protocol, so that session data is protected against wireless eavesdropping and other attacks, preventing the discovery of enterprise information as it traverses the wireless link.

To maintain the product’s market-leading multi-vendor compatibility, Odyssey Client v4.0 also adds support for Cisco’s EAP-FAST WLAN protocol.

Odyssey Client v4.0 also adds support for EAP-SIM, the WLAN protocol that allows GSM operators to authenticate customers accessing the network from an 802.1X-based hotspot against their existing Subscriber Information Management (SIM)-based infrastructure. (The GSM operator must also be running Funk Software’s Steel-Belted Radius/SS7 Gateway.)

In addition to supporting WPA2, EAP-SIM, and EAP-FAST, Odyssey Client v4.0 can use Microsoft machine credentials to authenticate machines to the network when a user is not logged in. This streamlines administration because machines can be directly authenticated against their computer account in Active Directory.

Odyssey Client Overview
Odyssey Client is the 802.1X access client that is most suitable for deployment on enterprise networks. Its multi-platform, multi-protocol support ensures compatibility in any environment, whether on the secure enterprise WLAN or wired 802.1X network, or at a public WLAN hotspot. Advanced pre-configuration tools enable rapid, automated deployment across every wireless PC on the network, significantly reducing the deployment costs associated with WLAN access. It is simple to use, ensuring rapid adoption by the end user population, significantly reducing the support and training costs associated with WLAN access. No other 802.1X client provides this threefold advantage.

Odyssey Client runs on Windows XP, 2000, 98, Me, and Windows Mobile 2003 for Pocket PC, and supports EAP-TTLS, EAP-PEAP, EAP-TLS, EAP-FAST, EAP-SIM, and LEAP authentication methods, and Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2), Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA), and dynamic WEP encryption protocols.

A WPA2-compatible version of Odyssey Client was selected by the Wi-Fi Alliance for inclusion in their WPA2 certification test bed.

Pricing and Availability
Odyssey Client v4.0 was developed by Funk Software – for whom Network Utilities is the Master Distributor in the UK. Odyssey Client £33/machine; quantity discounts and private-label licensing are available.

About Network Utilities
Network Utilities is a privately owned company, formed in 1989 to focus on
the demand for new and innovative network administration and communications tools. This subsequently provided a sound basis for strategic alliances with developers of similar product lines requiring a UK presence and resulted in Network Utilities forging partnership arrangements with several
international software manufacturers. Since 1992 Network Utilities has been
committed to providing and supporting a 'best of breed' range of products
for the management and security of the enterprise network and its remote
workers. The extended portfolio addresses Internet and wireless LAN security. Network Utilities (Systems) Ltd is headquartered at Liberty House,
516 Walton Road, West Molesey, Surrey, KT8 2QF, UK, Tel: +44 (0) 20 8783
3800. For more information about the company, please visit the Network
Utilities web site at http://www.netutils.com.

About Funk Software
Funk Software is a leading provider of network access security solutions for
networks of any size, from enterprise to operator, wired or wireless. The
company's family of RADIUS/AAA and WLAN security products allow an
organisation to enforce a uniform security policy across all network access
methods, including WLAN, remote/VPN, dial, and identity-based (wired
802.1X) - with the performance and reliability to handle any traffic load,
and with full support for any network infrastructure. Funk Software's
customers include many of the world's largest corporations, institutions,
telecommunications carriers, and Internet service providers (ISPs); its
products are licensed or resold by numerous leading manufacturers of
Internet hardware and software. Founded in 1982, Funk Software is
headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Ends.



For further information please contact:
Paul Calderwood
Kingswood Public Relations
Tel: 020 8763 2241 Fax 020 8763 2245
Email: kingswoodmktg@btinternet.com