INTERCONNECTS

SAN JOSE, CA -- Foundry Networks(R), Inc. (NASDAQ:FDRY), a leading provider of high-performance enterprise and service provider switching, routing and Web traffic management solutions, today unveils the FastIron(R) Edge Switch -- a new family of Layer 2, upgradeable to full multi-protocol Layer 3 stackable products. The FastIron Edge Switch product family sets a new level of price/performance with a wider range of user selectable functionality and wire-speed switching and routing in a compact form factor. It delivers more redundancy, reliability, availability, and capability in a ground-breaking platform that is smaller, less expensive, and easier to manage than the competition. Foundry delivers MORE in your network for LESS. With more flexibility, greater levels of security, extensive redundancy, expanded reliability, and increased resiliency, the FastIron Edge Switch decreases the network's Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) by reducing the cost of network operation and network administration training. It also increases your network's Return on Investment (ROI) through a complete set of adjustable and user-selectable features, setting the stage for the introduction of new converging technologies such as Voice-over-IP (VoIP) and streaming media applications. Key differentiators to this product family include: -- A range of user configurations with densities from 24 to 96 ports of 10/100Base-TX plus built-in Gigabit Ethernet -- Integrated (no additional cost) 1000Base-TX ports matched to 1000Base-X (mini-GBIC) slots that provide Foundry's patent pending Safe-T-Link(TM) technology for uplink redundancy -- JetScope(TM) -- Illuminating the network for better traffic insight, management, and control using sFlow (RFC3176) -- Multiple levels of hardware and software reliability previously available on core modular chassis-based products -- Foundry's IronWare(TM)award-winning suite of Layer 2 switching and full multi-protocol Layer 3 routing capabilities "Enterprise customers are keen to squeeze out as much value in the network as possible; leveraging their networking infrastructure to support the introduction of converged applications like VoIP is becoming more critical because in doing so, they can reduce network administration and TCO related costs and enhance the overall ROI on the integrated network," said Dave Passmore, Research Director for Burton Group. "Foundry's ability to incorporate a rich set of value-added functionality in the FastIron Edge Switch may be very attractive to organizations trying to optimize their investments in people and equipment."