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Groove Networks Software Meets Security Requirements of New Dept. of Defense Directive on Use of Wireless Networks

Groove software's end-to-end security and identity/authentication framework meets needs of DoD mobile & remote employees and contractors who must secure information

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 3, 2004--Groove Networks Inc., a leading provider of secure virtual office software that allows teams of people to work together over a network as if they are in the same location, today announced that its Groove Workspace software is compliant with a new Department of Defense (DoD) policy that makes it mandatory for all DoD personnel, contractors and even visitors entering defense facilities to encrypt unclassified information transmitted wirelessly.
The directive, DoD 8100.2, sets requirements for identification and authentication of users, and encryption of data and voice traveling across the network, or stored on a computing device's hard drive. Issued in mid-April by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, the directive applies to all commercial wireless devices, services, and technologies that operate as part of the DoD global information grid.

"As our defense and intelligence organizations more readily share information across network boundaries and in mobile environments, wireless networks will become a more common and mission critical conduit for communication and file transfer," said Mike Gotta, senior vice president & principal analyst for META Group. "Basically, this directive says that information traveling over the DoD global information grid must be encrypted, or it can't travel across the network. Given the CPU power that's available in PCs and mobile devices today, the software industry as a whole must move towards providing solutions that ensure information sent over wireless or wired networks is encrypted when required by security policies. The key is providing this level of security without requiring end users to concern themselves with complicated instructions and menus."

Government organizations, including the departments of Defense and Homeland Security, use Groove software for ultra-secure, inter-agency collaboration, information sharing and decision-making on a wide variety of government networks. The increasingly virtual nature of work is perhaps nowhere more evident than within the public sector, where because of their missions, government agencies must share information in a more decentralized and mobile manner than ever before.

"Similar to what's occurring in commercial circles, the government work setting is shifting from a physical environment to one that is increasingly virtual," said David Fowler, senior vice president of marketing and business development for Groove Networks. "Our message to DoD and other government employees is simple: If you want to do secure voice or data messaging, or even file sharing across a WiFi network, then we have a commercial, off-the-shelf solution that's 100% compliant with the directive and administratively transparent to the users."

The directive sets forth 20 policy statements, including:

-- For data, strong authentication, non-repudiation and personal identification is required for access to a DoD information system;

-- At a minimum, data encryption must be implemented end-to-end over an assured channel and must be validated as meeting requirements for Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) Publication 140-2, Overall Level 1 or Level 2;

-- Encrypting unclassified voice is desirable; voice packets across an Internet protocol shall use encryption that meets FIPS 140-2 requirements; and

-- For data at rest, portable electronic devices shall use file encryption that is validated as meeting FIPS-140-2 requirements.

Groove Workspace software meets these policy statement requirements since the software:

-- Provides the basis for supporting trusted identification and strong authentication among users through its software identity management framework;

-- Automatically encrypts all device content and network communications, end-to-end, including people communicating over wireless networks. Groove software has been validated as meeting FIPS Pub 140-2 Level 1 requirements;

-- Provides voice (VOIP) capabilities; automatically encrypts all voice communication packets between users; and has been validated as meeting FIPS 140-2 requirements; and

-- Encrypts data both in transit and at rest, providing end-to-end security. Content that is stored in or received by Groove is automatically encrypted.

Individuals interested in learning more about the DoD directive can obtain a copy here: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/ d81002_041404/d81002p.pdf (Due to the length of this URL, it may be necessary to copy and paste this hyperlink into your Internet browser's URL address field. You may also need to remove an extra space in the URL if one exists.)

Individuals interested in learning more about how Groove software meets FIPS Pub 140-2 Level 1 requirements can obtain information here: http://www.groove.net/release.cfm?pagename=press_Oct1_2003

About Groove Networks

Founded in October 1997 and headquartered in Beverly, Mass., Groove Networks Inc. delivers the "virtual office" through software that allows teams of people to work together over a network as if they are in the same physical location. Groove software helps organizations, large and small, save money, time and eliminate travel by offering both a desktop application for instant joint work, and a set of customizable, open collaboration capabilities that enhance the utility and value of existing solutions. For more information about Groove Networks, visit http://www.groove.net.

Groove Networks and Groove are registered trademarks of Groove Networks Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.

Contacts


Groove Networks
Richard Eckel, 978-720-2260
reckel@groove.net
or
Ryan Hoppe, 978-720-2267
rhoppe@groove.net

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