Expand Improves Networked Customer Services for Automotive Giant, Renault; Renault Deploys High Performance Low Cost ACCELERATOR Solution on Most Problematic WAN Links

ROSELAND, N.J.--Jan. 1, 20042, 2004--Expand Networks, the leading provider of WAN compression and acceleration appliances, announced today that Renault Distributors has invested in the Expand ACCELERATORs to guarantee the optimal performance and central distribution of networked customer services involving Kerridge, an automotive ERP system with email and web services. The initial installation of Expand ACCELERATORS increased peak WAN capacity by over 4 times and has eliminated the need for a forklift bandwidth upgrade producing significant savings for the automotive giant.

Efficient application access and delivery is crucial for Renault Distributors' main offices in Dublin, Rosslare, Galway, Sligo, Port Laoise and Liffey Valley. The networked based Citrix and Kerridge applications enable customers to purchase vehicles, secure Vehicle Registration Tax (VRT) payments, log service problems and check for stock availability. Renault had previously deployed packet shaping technology to restrict non-critical network traffic, however the automotive giant still found that vital application performance was degraded. Renault just needed more network capacity and Expand's solution which combined WAN expansion with important traffic management features was well suited to address the existing network congestion.

Local channel partner, DCM Group initially installed Expand Network ACCELERATORs between two of the most problematic offices, and after a brief period of successful testing the ACCELERATORs were then rolled out to the other locations.

"The ACCELERATORs are absolutely superb, they sorted out all networking problems between our six main offices without the costly option of increasing the amount of bandwidth per office from a 64K dedicated line to 256K." said Brian Connery, Network Administrator, Renault Distributors. "The ACCELERATOR's ease of installation, combined with the aggressive 3 month ROI and value-add networking services offered by the DCM Group were among the deciding factors that won our vote of confidence.

Pedro Colaco, vice president of marketing at Expand Networks explains, "For multi site businesses Expand Network's WAN acceleration and compression technology can solve the problem of running business applications over low connection speeds without the need to increase the amount of bandwidth. To date, the Expand monitoring and reporting modules have shown that our customers have increased their network efficiency up to 400% with peaks of 1000% and achieved Return On Investment within 3-9 months."

About Renault Distributors (www.renault.ie):

Renault is now the best-selling car and van brand in Europe and is run highly successfully in Ireland by the Glen Cullen Group since 1986 when the current Chairman Mr Bill Cullen took over the Renault franchise from the Waterford Glass Group. In 2002 Renault sold in excess of 13,000 cars and vans in the Irish Market. With over 46 car & van dealerships in 22 counties, Renault Ireland has one of the most extensive dealer networks of all marques in Ireland. The City Gate Group is the retail division of the Glencullen Group and currently operates 5 dealerships in Galway, Sligo, Portlaoise, Drumcondra and Liffey Valley

All Renault vehicles enter Ireland through Rosslare Port where Renault Ireland operate a state of the art distribution compound to prepare their vehicles for sale and distribution to their dealer network.

About Expand Networks

Expand Networks is the leading provider of WAN compression and acceleration appliances with 87% market share. The ACCELERATORs eliminate the need for costly WAN link upgrades by increasing average network capacity by 100-400% with peaks of 1000+%. Expand's patented technology enables quicker deployments of new applications to remote offices. Its unique features - acceleration, traffic discovery, application visibility and Instant QoS allow enterprises to support more networked users, applications and services with fewer resources delivering a typical ROI of 3 to 9 months. Expand has shipped over 16,000 units to more than 700 customers including Motorola, Texas Instruments and the United States Department of Defense. Expand Networks is headquartered in Roseland, New Jersey with offices in Australia, Israel, Italy, South Africa, United Kingdom and throughout the United States. To learn more, visit www.expand.com or call (888) 892-1250.

About DCM Group (www.dcmgroup.com):

Established in 1978, indigenous communications provider DCM Group architects, installs and supports Multimedia products, Voice and Data products, LAN & WAN solutions and provides Network Security services such as firewalls and VPN's to over 400 customers. In addition as part of the DCM Group, TechNiche (www.techniche.ie) offers Solution Specific Services such as Network Consultancy and Design (Windows 2000/2003 and Novell), Remote Support for high-end operating systems and Network Security Design and Implementation Services (Checkpoint, SonicWall, Surfcontrol, RSA, CA). TechNiche consists of highly skilled engineers with over 50 years combined IT experience accredited by partners such as Citrix, Microsoft and Cisco.

DCM Group Corporate clients include Greencore, Offices of the Houses of Oireachtas, Law Society, A & L Goodbody, Fyffes, Irish Rail, Mayo County Council, Mater Private Hospital and Internet Ireland. DCM Group is the number one distributor and installer of Expand Network's products in Ireland. Strategic partners also include Lucent Technologies, Bluesocket, Avaya, Blue Coat, Lightpointe and Tadiran. DCM Group Head Office is in Dublin with offices in Cork and Stroud, UK.