Press Releases

PetPartners Turns to Top Layer Networks IPS 5500 Intrusion Prevention System to Protect Network from Cyber Threats and Ensure PCI Data Security Compliance

Westboro, MA, December 22, 2005 -

Top Layer Networks, the global leader for high performance intrusion prevention solutions, today announced that PetPartners, a provider of pet healthcare coverage, has deployed Top Layer’s IPS 5500 intrusion prevention system. PetPartners will utilize Top Layer’s IPS 5500 to protect its networks and applications – and, importantly, its customers - from cyber threats in its efforts to ensure the company’s compliance with payment card industry (PCI) data security guidelines. Enterprise Network Services, a Top Layer partner, assisted with the deal.

With PetPartners’ rapidly-growing online presence and its increasing use of credit card transactions online, the company wanted to maintain – or even exceed - industry standard levels of security dictated by PCI data security guidelines to protect customer data, and avoid significant damage to their business. With its growth in online sales and the accompanying increase in credit card transactions, PetPartners recognized the importance of such protection.

Once PCI requirements take effect Jan. 1, 2006, non-compliant enterprises risk significant fines, accrued daily, for not adhering to the standard. In addition, if a company was not compliant and a breach occurred, the company’s liability could spread to mitigation of damages incurred by customers whose data were stolen.

“PCI data security guidelines stipulate stringent levels of security and requisite technology implementations to achieve compliance. Because we want our customers to feel absolutely safe doing business through all channels – mail, telephone, Internet – we deploy best-of-breed technology across PetPartners to protect our policy holders,” said Chris Combs, CIO at PetPartners. “Top Layer Networks, with its unparalleled approach to protection, allows us to exceed PCI security requirements – blocking malicious attacks and potential fraudsters from accessing customer data and causing damage -- and go the extra mile that our customers deserve.”

PCI data security guidelines require an intrusion detection system (IDS) filter in the edge router. However, PetPartners decided that it would be more costly to deploy an IDS and the staff to chase after malicious traffic. So Combs decided to implement Top Layer’s best-of-breed intrusion prevention system (IPS) that actively blocks malicious traffic. Top Layer’s IPS 5500 enables PetPartners to more efficiently protect its network and customer data, while exceeding PCI data security guidelines.

“Companies like PetPartners that rely on Internet commerce to do business face a multitude of online threats, from malicious content to undesired access to rate-based denial-of-service attacks. PCI requires compliance to stringent data security guidelines to ensure the customer’s data is well-protected,” said Peter Rendall, president and CEO of Top Layer Networks. “Top Layer’s Three Dimensional Protection provides the ability to block malicious traffic and exploits of vulnerabilities, helping companies to secure their customers’ most important data and attain PCI compliance.”

“Enterprise Network Services assisted PetPartners in identifying the solution to meet the PCI requirements that the industry must adhere to, recommending Top Layer’s IPS 5500,” said Ike Bunn, ENS president. “The Top Layer IPS 5500 was the clear product of choice primarily because PetPartners sought the best-in-breed solution, not a solution that merely met minimal checkbox requirements.”

About the Top Layer IPS 5500

The IPS 5500 family of products offers the strongest levels of network protection, performance and reliability on the market today. By combining stateful firewall, content-based IPS/IDS, and attack mitigation algorithms, the IPS 5500 is the only solution that provides Three Dimensional Protection (3DP) against undesired access, malicious content and rate-based attacks. Top Layer’s architecture enables the IPS 5500 to protect enterprises and service providers from sophisticated, hybrid attacks in real-time while enabling the highest throughput of legitimate traffic.

The IPS 5500 remains the only IPS to receive double NSS Lab Approval for both rate-based and content-based IPS protection. It has also won approval from industry publications such as Information Security Magazine, SC Magazine, Computer Reseller News, among others.

To learn more about the IPS 5500, visit www.toplayer.com or call +1-508-870-1300.

About Top Layer Networks

Top Layer Networks is dedicated to its role as the leading global provider of Network Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), developing and bringing to market network security infrastructure solutions that help commercial and government organizations protect their critical on-line assets from the losses and risks associated with cyber threats. Its family of IPS appliances is designed with “Three Dimensional Protection” that provides the most advanced protection capabilities against known and unknown attacks at the highest tested performance rates. Top Layer Networks is headquartered in Massachusetts, USA with sales and support presence in Canada, Germany, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

About Enterprise Network Services

Enterprise Network Services is a regional technology design and consulting firm headquartered in Raleigh, NC, serving Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. ENS is actively engaged in the assessment, design, and implementation of networks with an emphasis on security. To learn more about ENS, visit them on their web site at www.ens-nc.com, or telephone Ike Bunn at 919-510-0510 X 23.

About PetPartners, Inc.

PetPartners, Inc. is a dedicated provider of quality pet healthcare plans, based in Raleigh, NC. It has exclusive relationships with leading pet registries, the American Kennel Club and the Cat Fanciers’ Association, as well as several Farm Bureaus. Its parent company, PetPartners Plc, is headquartered in London, UK and is the exclusive provider for the UK’s leading registry, The Kennel Club. For more information, contact Jerry Peterson, CEO, at (919) 859-8211 or Chris Combs, CIO, at (919) 859-8240.

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