MCI Teams With Aventail To Extend Managed Remote Access IP VPN Suite

New Secure Socket Layer (SSL) VPN Solution to Enable Anywhere, Anyplace Secure Access to Corporate Resources

ASHBURN, Va., April 6, 2004 - MCI (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), and Aventail Corporation the leading SSL VPN product company, today announced they have joined forces to deliver best-of-breed SSL Internet Protocol Virtual Private Network (IP VPN) capabilities to businesses worldwide. Further extending MCI's leading global VPN portfolio, the new fully managed remote access service offers greater flexibility and enhanced security for organizations that want to more simply and cost effectively connect customers, partners and mobile workforces to their corporate networks.

Available immediately to U.S.-based companies with domestic and/or international users, MCI is integrating Aventail's award-winning SSL VPN technology into its new managed remote VPN solution to enable users to connect to corporate resources from anywhere, using any computing device. Now remote workers and business partners can simply use any Web browser from any PC or computing device, such as an airport kiosk, to securely access information stored on a corporate network.

"MCI's agreement with Aventail allows our customers to tap into an alternate, yet complementary VPN technology that delivers industry-leading security and access control, "said Jim DeMerlis, MCI vice president of data and IP solutions. "We are seeing a growing trend among VPN customers to extend network privileges beyond their immediate corporate boundaries, so we are delivering a secure solution that is easy to implement internally and externally across multiple types of users."

With MCI's new SSL remote access VPN solution, businesses can designate and control access at the application layer-to eliminate expensive direct network connections-and support a broad set of individual access requirements and authentication methods. Because MCI's solution is 'clientless' no client software needs to be installed on a PC or computing device when accessing Web-based information over the Internet, effectively reducing the administration costs to configure, manage and support VPN users. Additionally, MCI's offering enables users to access client/server applications over the Internet with a Java applet client, running seamlessly in the background.

"This partnership brings together two powerhouses to deliver the necessary access required by today's enterprises," said Zeus Kerravala, vice president of enterprise infrastructure for the Yankee Group. "Through its partnership with Aventail, MCI can now fully extend remote access, securely, to PDAs, kiosks, home PCs, and laptops to boost productivity and broaden accessibility to applications and information for both employees and third-parties."

MCI's new SSL offering is unique in that it is integrated with the company's complete desktop remote access platform, Access Manager and its Remote Access Service administrator platform Enterprise Services Management (ESM). This provides IT administrators with a number of conveniences including simple password administration, the ability to centrally manage access policies and quickly move, add or change end users. In addition, customers have access to tools, software and detailed Web-based reporting that provides insight into individual online usage patterns among other metrics. Engineered to be highly redundant, the SSL service is backed by stringent service level agreements.

"Aventail's expertise in SSL technology is a perfect extension to MCI's industry-leading VPN product set," said Evan Kaplan, president and CEO of Aventail. "As MCI continues to expand its VPN customer base and VPN portfolio and more companies open their networks to employees, external trading partners and suppliers, SSL will play an important role enabling truly secure inter-business communications."

MCI offers the industry's most extensive suite of managed VPN and global data networking solutions that are a part of the full continuum of integrated communication products and services the company provides to enterprises of all sizes around the world.

About WorldCom Inc.
WorldCom, Inc. (WCOEQ, MCWEQ), which, together with its subsidiaries, currently conducts business under the MCI brand name, is a leading global communications provider, delivering innovative, cost-effective, advanced communications connectivity to businesses, governments and consumers. With the industry's most expansive global IP backbone, based on the number of company-owned points-of-presence (POPs), and wholly-owned data networks, WorldCom develops the converged communications products and services that are the foundation for commerce and communications in today's market. For more information, go to http://www.mci.com.

About Aventail
Recognized as the leading SSL VPN product company and the authority on clientless and client-based SSL VPN products and services, Aventail helps enterprises deliver anywhere access to any application from the broadest range of devices. Our proven security and the breadth of our application support-comparable to what IPSec solutions offer-increase the productivity of end-users and IT professionals. Aventail's SSL VPN appliances are easier to manage, less expensive to support, and more secure than other SSL VPN solutions. Customers including Aetna, DuPont, Mount Sinai NYU Health, Office Depot, and Sanyo and leading service providers including AT&T, IBM Global Services, Sprint, and Bell Canada rely on Aventail technology. Aventail has been named a Gartner Magic Quadrant leader three times since 2002. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, the company has an extensive channel partner and service provider network with sales and technical support operations in more than 75 countries.
For more information, please visit www.aventail.com.

Aventail, Aventail.Net, Aventail ASAP, Aventail EX-1500, and Aventail OnDemand, and their respective logos are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of Aventail Corporation. Other product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned for identification purposes only.