ASHLAND, Ore. -- July 18, 2000 -- Open Door Networks Inc. today announced that it has teamed up with leading broadband ISP EarthLink, Inc. (NASDAQ: ELNK) to provide all new and existing EarthLink DSL customers with a free copy of Open Door's industry-leading DoorStop Personal Firewall for Macintosh. The agreement marks the first time an ISP is making a firewall available at no charge to its Macintosh users, and addresses the enhanced security needs of "broadband" users, who are often connected to the Internet for extended periods.
Both companies have established relationships and experience working with Apple. EarthLink is the exclusive ISP in Apple's Internet Setup Assistant included with all Macs sold in the U.S. Open Door Networks also maintains a longstanding relationship with Apple, most recently providing Apple with the Internet file sharing capability of Mac OS 9 through its ShareWay IP product.
Open Door's DoorStop Personal Firewall provides easy-to-use security for Internet-connected Macs and is essential for any Mac with an "always on" Internet connection, such as through a DSL or cable modem or an intranet. DoorStop is specifically tuned for Mac OS 9's Internet features, but also runs back to Mac OS 8.1. DoorStop's intuitive user interface lets users block Internet access attempts to their Macs, either selectively or globally, and also provides logging and advice about those access attempts. Details of DoorStop are available at http://www.opendoor.com/doorstop/ .
"The alliance between EarthLink and Open Door is a big win for all concerned," said Alan Oppenheimer, president of Open Door Networks. "EarthLink DSL customers get a more secure system, EarthLink enhances its reputation as the preeminent Macintosh ISP, and Open Door gets its firewall product into the hands of more users. It's great to see people starting to understand the importance of security software."
EarthLink will provide information and download instructions to all new and existing EarthLink DSL customers by email. DoorStop requires a PowerPC processor and Mac OS 8.1 or later.
Open Door Networks, Inc. is a leading provider of Internet security solutions for the Macintosh, and the developer of Mac OS 9's TCP/IP File Sharing feature. Open Door was founded in January, 1995 by Alan Oppenheimer, an 11-year Apple veteran and co-creator of the AppleTalk network system. Open Door's mission is to provide Macintosh users with Internet solutions that are as easy-to-use and as powerful as the Macintosh itself. Open Door Networks is based in Ashland, Oregon.
DoorStop and ShareWay IP are trademarks of Open Door Networks, Inc.