SnapGear, Hitatchi Deliver SME VPN Firewall Products

December 13, 2002 -- Internet security solutions developer SnapGear Inc. (SnapGear.com) announced on Monday that it has updated its VPN Firewall gateway lineup with new security products designed for small to medium sized enterprises through a collaboration announced earlier in the year with Hitachi Ltd.

SnapGear president Peter Cronk traveled to Japan to meet Hitachi Ltd. president and CEO Satoru Ito. The companies have since been working together to develop next generation secure gateway appliances and reference designs to enable network security for Internet users of every size.

The new SnapGear SME products are based on the Hitachi SuperH family of microprocessors, which enhance the products' abilities to address SME Internet access and security requirements. Designed and manufactured in the space of six months, says SnapGear, the products incorporate several years of engineering research.

"Hitachi's SuperH processors allowed us to produce very cost-effective products with enhanced features and higher throughput," says Peter Cronk, president of SnapGear Inc. "These devices are among the few in their class that keep up with Japanese DSL speeds. Our partners, Sumitomo Metal System Solutions, provided the expertise necessary to quickly modify our user interface for the Japanese language. Internet security is not about securing just one location or one Internet connection -- it is a global problem and hence our focus on global products for the small to medium business as part of any region's pro-active homeland defense."