NETSCOUT Rolls Out Newest Version Of nGenius Application Service Level Manager

May 7, 2001

Web-based, Newspaper-Style Reports

WESTFORD, Mass., May 7 /PRNewswire/ -- NetScout Systems (Nasdaq: NTCT), today unveiled nGenius Application Service Level Manager(TM) version 3.0, its newest nGenius solution aimed at easing the task of managing and reporting on network and application service levels. nGenius Application Service Level Manager is based on NetScout's active agent technology, which produces 7x24 business transactions that test and measure application performance from the end-user perspective. It provides an end-to-end view of availability and response time of business critical applications.

nGenius Application Service Level Manager v3.0 combines new features for creating secure, customized, newspaper-style reports with a scalable, Web- based reporting architecture called nGenius NewsStand(TM). The newspaper- style reports allow various types of service-level information to be displayed according to the interests of different readers. The nGenius NewsStand provides an effective way to distribute multiple reports to a large number of readers via the Web. A key benefit of nGenius NewsStand is its ability to reside near both local and remote readers, either inside or outside a firewall. This enables accessibility of the reports to all readers while preserving performance and security.

Another key benefit is the ease through which IT staff can create customized reports on their own; other products on the market require the use of professional services. A "NewsEditor" wizard leads users through five easy steps to create a customized newspaper.

"We provide telecommunications services to over 4 million customers in 35 states. Keeping those customers well-informed is absolutely critical to our business," said Tom Heim, senior network specialist for TDS Telecom. "The customized reports generated by nGenius Application Service Level Manager enable us to communicate the condition of the network to a wide range of users, providing as few or as many details as needed. The reports help us answer our clients' questions about the kind of response times we are delivering, how their applications are performing and the overall success we are having in meeting service level goals."

    nGenius Application Service Level Manager v3.0 adds new capabilities to:
    --View personalized performance information:  Multiple levels of
      granularity provide technical or non-technical readers with the
      information that directly applies to them.
    --Easily and quickly create custom, newspaper-style reports:  IT staff can
      create customized reports on their own.  No consultants required!  The
    --"NewsEditor" wizard leads users through five easy steps to create custom
      Newspapers.  Newspapers can be personalized to reflect reader ownership.
    --Keep critical information private:  Partitioned views of NewsPapers in
      secure Web sites shows readers only what they are supposed to see.

"In addition to being a powerful tool for managing and validating service levels, nGenius Application Service Level Manager also eases the task of reporting that information to customers," said Michael Szabados, senior vice of product operations, NetScout Systems. "nGenius Application Service Level Manager complements the capabilities of our nGenius Real Time Monitor and our nGenius Capacity Planner by validating service levels both before and after performance-enhancing measures have been taken."

"The success of outsourcing is being determined by compliance to service level agreements," said John McConnell, McConnell Associates. "More enterprises want performance-centered SLAs for supporting voice over IP and VPNs, and the successful providers will meet this demand. NetScout's new nGenius Application Service Level Manager provides both SPs and enterprises with a common reporting mechanism to compare the results of network performance against negotiated service levels."

nGenius System Demonstrated at NetWorld+Interop

The nGenius System, including nGenius Real-Time Monitor(TM), nGenius Capacity Planner(TM), nGenius Application Service Level Manager, and the nGenius NewsStand will be demonstrated at NetWorld+Interop, Las Vegas, May 8- 10, 2001 at NetScout's booth #7063.

    Pricing and Availability
    --nGenius Application Service Level Manager is available today, shipping
      with a local NewsStand for $50,000 per server and offers full support
      for the nGenius NewsStand for remote Web servers.
    --nGenius NewsStand for remote Web servers is available today starting at
      $25,000 per server.

    About nGenius

NetScout's nGenius(TM) Performance Management System is a market-leading suite of monitoring and reporting applications that draw on rich, integrated performance data generated by NetScout's line of application-aware probes and active agents, plus network devices. The nGenius System helps organizations increase their return on infrastructure investments by optimizing the performance of their network and its ability to deliver applications and content to end-users.

About NetScout Systems

NetScout Systems, Inc. is the leading provider of infrastructure performance management solutions for leading companies and service providers worldwide. NetScout serves approximately half of the Fortune 500 and counts among its customers 3M Corporation, Amazon.com, AT&T Wireless, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Cable & Wireless, Cisco Systems, Computer Sciences Corporation, Exenet Technologies, Fidelity Investments, Intel Online, MCI, Reed Elsevier, Sprint, Sun Microsystems and Webhire. NetScout is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts and has approximately 360 employees, with offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Further information on the company is available on the World Wide Web at www.netscout.com
NetScout is a registered trademark, and the NetScout logo, nGenius, nGenius Real-Time Monitor, nGenius Capacity Planner, nGenius Application Service Level Manager, nGenius NewsStand and Traffic Signatures are trademarks of NetScout Systems, Inc.

     Contacts:
     Peggy Flynn/
     Marci Flaherty
     NetScout Systems
     (978) 614-4162
     (978) 614-4371
     flynnp@netscout.com
     flahertym@netscout.com

     Todd Van Hoosear
     Chris Penesis
     Miller/Shandwick Technologies
     (617) 351-4190
     (617) 351-4119
     tvanhoosear@miller.shandwick.com
     cpenesis@miller.shandwick.com

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SOURCE NetScout Systems
Web site: http: /www.netscout.com
CONTACT: Peggy Flynn, 978-614-4162, flynnp@netscout.com, or Marci Flaherty, 978-614-4371, flahertym@netscout.com, both of NetScout Systems; or Todd Van Hoosear, 617-351-4190, tvanhoosear@miller.shandwick.com, or Chris Penesis, 617-351-4119, cpenesis@miller.shandwick.com, both of Miller/Shandwick Technologies