MCI WORLDCOM'S UUNET ANNOUNCES WORLD-WIDE DIAL-UP INTERNET ACCESS FOR BUSINESSES
TORONTO, Ont. - January 24, 2000 - UUNET, an MCI WorldCom company and a global leader in Internet services to business, today announced major enhancements to its dial-up Internet services for Canadian businesses. The expansion will offer multinational companies one set of dial services, under the UUdial Corporate service name, to meet their global needs, streamlining the functionality and administration of global Internet services.
"Historically, ISPs have often been limited to a local business model, and global companies have purchased Internet services based on the needs and preferences of offices in individual countries and regions," says Sam Mazzotta, Product Manager for UUNET in Canada. "But more and more, we are seeing the need for a truly global solution, with one provider, one consistent set of services, and one equal level of service. Our new global UUdial Corporate services meet this need."
Subscribers to UUdial Corporate receive remote dial access to the Internet which, with the proper authorization, can give them virtually ubiquitous access to their corporate network. Utilizing UUNET's global network, telecommuting employees, branch offices or mobile users can dial into the nearest local point of presence (POP) using a local telephone number and their existing account ID. This service significantly reduces the cost of long distance charges while traveling outside the employee's home area, especially if they are abroad. In addition, businesses can minimize the strain on in-house resources by hosting their authentication server (RADIUS) with UUNET. For the IT manager, the administration tools provide easy control over costs and access authentication from a single point. UUdial Corporate is compatible with many encrypted gateways or Internet tunneling protocols.
UUdial features:
RADIUS Server Options: cost-effective server hosting for customers who do not wish to host their own server. RADIUS provides remote authentication, authorization and accounting services in a redundant high-performance environment. UUNET will provide sufficient server scalability and 24X7 monitoring by UUNET's network operations center (NOC).
Administration: A dedicated Web site will enable corporate administrators to quickly and easily add, modify or delete end users' access to the corporate network. The administrator can also use this password-protected Web site to designate any pre-configured destination management to be applied to individual users.
Destination management: Technology enables IT managers to control or limit the destination sites accessible to users. Corporations can specify the networks to which their users are directed, thereby reducing usage costs from random browsing.
Dialer and Phonebook: The dialer client includes an integrated phone book with local and toll free numbers for domestic and international access. It is compatible with Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows NT, and supports standard Analog, ISDN, PPP, and Digital Multilink PPP. The dialer also includes the option of "private labeling" the software with a company logo or trademark.
VPN Integration : Easily integrate dial-up users into VPN technologies, such as UUNET's UUsecure VPN. Client software that's maintained on remote users' PCs creates an encryption gateway to the corporate network from its remote workstation.
Pricing and Availability The flat monthly rate for each end-user includes 150 hours of Internet access and free roaming within North America; extra hours are billed at an additional hourly rate. There is a one-time set-up charge. 1-888 access is available for an additional per minute rate. The service is available to Canadian businesses immediately.
