Hitachi Cable, Ltd. announced it will introduce its newly-developed NALogManager software on June 8, in addition to Hitachi Cable's Apresia(R) authentication switches. The purpose of NALogManager is to analyze access logs collected by Apresia(R) authentication switches (*1*2).

Unauthorized disclosure of customer information held by companies has become an increasingly high-profile issue. In most cases, attempts to track down the sources of leaks after disclosure result only in the discovery of the IP addresses left at servers as access logs. Use of Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) (*3) makes it extremely difficult to determine by IP address alone the identity of the users accessing networks. Apresia(R) authentication switches are capable of collecting access logs, but analysis of access logs requires expertise and has remained difficult. This was the driving motivation behind the development of NALogManager. The access log analysis software for Apresia(R) was developed to meet customer needs.

NALogManager will allow network administrators to easily keep track of who is using which IP address at which terminal to access internal networks, and to identify the corresponding Apresia(R) switch and port, as well as the time and duration of access. To block unauthorized access to internal networks, NALogManager offers a function that notifies administrators of the potential for unauthorized access (spoofing) when someone accesses the networks from unregistered terminals (MAC addresses), or when someone is denied access to networks.

Introducing an Apresia(R) authentication switch does not require modifying existing network systems, and the same hub and central switch may be retained. The only requirement is replacing a peripheral L2 switch with an Apresia(R) switch. A single Apresia(R) switch can control access for up to 300 clients, resulting in remarkably low introduction costs.

Since NALogManager can analyze access logs for multiple Apresia(R) authentication switches, we plan to offer three NALogManager licensing packages, which will permit analysis of 20, 40, and unlimited numbers of switches. Although prices remain open, the licensing package for 20 Apresia(R) switches will be available for 500,000 yen or less.

Targeting various companies taking active security measures, Hitachi Cable will work aggressively to expand sales of Apresia(R) authentication switches by improving authentication functions through combined use with NALogManager. Sales of the complete box-type Apresia(R) package are expected to reach approximately 3 billion yen in fiscal 2005.

*1	An authentication switch is a switch equipped with a built-in user identification function that controls access to the network at client terminals. A user authentication function is provided in the Apresia(R)2000 series.
*2	Apresia(R) is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd.
*3	The Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol automatically assigns IP addresses and other necessary information to computers for temporary access to the Internet.

Operating environment for NALogManager (Required server specifications)

Item Specification OS Red Hat Linux 8.0 or later (Kernel-2.4.18 or later)*1 CPU Pentium III 1 GHz or better RAM Minimum 512 MB HDD Depends on operating environment (see below). A SCSI disk is recommended. DB PostgreSQL 7.3 or later*2 WWW Tomcat 4.1.23 or later*2 JRE J2SE 1.4 or later*2 *3

*1	Plans call for expanding compatibility to a wider range of operating systems.
*2	This must be installed separately.
*3	JRE required for servers, but not client terminal.

* Please contact the Corporate Communication Section to obtain Product photos and data.