Date published: 01.09.08 - not release date

Poupart chooses StoneGate for secure supply chain collaboration

The UK’s oldest fresh fruit company builds greater resilience and reliability into its security infrastructure with Stonesoft’s innovative Multi-Link™ technology

Reading, UK – 12 June 2008 – Poupart has installed StoneGate, a network security solution from Stonesoft Corp. (HEX: SFT1V), an innovative provider of security and business continuity solutions. Poupart has invested in the resilience of its supply chain IT to ensure its 120 employees and 100 remote users experience continuous uptime and can exchange EDI and XML (electronic data interchange) messages securely.

Poupart Limited has been in operation since the 19th century supplying fruit to retailers and other organisations. The group is dedicated to ethical trading practices and supplies multiple markets through its companies including Poupart Citrus, BerryWorld and Norton Folgate. Its customers include Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose. The company chose Stonesoft following a recommendation from Stonesoft partner Ramesys – a managed services and security services IT provider.

With deliveries taking place throughout the day and overnight, and orders being processed daily, the fresh produce supply chain requires continuous operation and Poupart has implemented Stonesoft’s StoneGate to ensure communications with customers, suppliers and other members of the supply chain – including invoices, orders, delivery confirmations and payments - aren't affected by network disruptions or security breaches.

Poupart supplies its IT user base of over 300 users with Microsoft web-based collaboration and Business Process Management (BPM) platforms Microsoft SharePoint and BizTalk; Microsoft Dynamics Nav, web hosting, web access, e-mail and EDI. StoneGate will ensure that connection to these critical applications remains active at all times.

Network security platform StoneGate, provides extremely high levels of security, secure remote access and allows for multiple internet connections from different ISPs. StoneGate's Multi-Link Technology and ISP Multi-homing techniques provide organisations with highly available ISP connectivity in a simple, straightforward, and cost-effective manner. Stonesoft allows the use of multiple ISP connections simultaneously, providing an always connected service via any of the available connections and also ensuring that traffic is always carried via the quickest route, without the intervention of the IT department. Multi-Link supports many types of internet links, including ISDN, DSL, leased lines, modem connection and even satellite guaranteeing constant internet connectivity.

Poupart’s infrastructure manager, Robert Hamilton explains: “Our vision is to be the leader of IT systems within the fresh produce sector, and security will play a major part in our strategy. Stonesoft has proved to be an excellent supplier, as has Ramesys, and I see both playing a major part in the future developments of Poupart's IT infrastructure.” He continued: “The deciding factor was the ability to have multiple internet connections. Stonesoft’s membership of the VPN consortium was also a positive factor. The platform is easy to use and following a day’s training we have been able to bring the management of our IT security in-house. Stonesoft can offer technical complexity whilst keeping management simple.”

Ash Patel, UK and Ireland country manager for Stonesoft said: “Detecting vulnerabilities early and enabling an efficient supply chain with secure and resilient connections is key in an FMCG sector like fresh produce.” He concluded: “We are pleased that Poupart has realised benefits from the 1st day of the StoneGate deployment. Dual ISPs have enabled employees to increase their performance and remote access is not only quicker but also more reliable and easier to use.

About Poupart

Poupart Limited is one of the UK's oldest fresh produce companies. Poupart supplies quality soft-fruit, top-fruit, stone-fruit, citrus, cherries, grapes and a host of other products to leading supermarkets and the non-retail sector.

Incorporated in 1895, but trading since the mid 19th Century, the company remained a privately owned enterprise until 1986, when it was acquired by Hillsdown Holdings plc, a major food conglomerate at the time. Within a year of that acquisition a third generation fruit trading family, the Olins, were encouraged to conduct a "management buy-in" of the business. This arrangement resulted in Poupart regaining its lost pre-eminence and returning once again to the position of financial strength it had held in past years. Although Poupart was subsequently sold by Hillsdown Holdings plc in 1997 to Argent Group Europe Ltd, the Olins family remain at the helm of the company. Thus combining the expertise and flexibility of a family led enterprise with the strength and discipline of a larger financial entity. http://www.poupart.co.uk

About Stonesoft Corporation

Stonesoft Corporation (OMX: SFT1V) is an innovative provider of integrated network security solutions to secure the information flow of distributed organisations. Stonesoft customers include enterprises with growing business needs requiring advanced network security and always-on business connectivity. StoneGate™ secure connectivity solution unifies firewall, VPN, IPS and SSL VPN blending network security, end-to-end availability and award-winning load balancing into a unified and centrally managed system. The key benefits of StoneGate secure connectivity solution include low TCO, excellent price-performance ratio and high ROI.

StoneGate Management Center provides unified management for StoneGate Firewall with VPN, IPS and SSL VPN. StoneGate Firewall and IPS work together to provide intelligent defence all over the enterprise network while StoneGate SSL VPN provides enhanced security for mobile and remote use.

Founded in 1990, Stonesoft Corporation is a global company with corporate headquarters in Helsinki, Finland and Americas headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.

For more info, visit www.stonesoft.com

For more details please contact:

Melanie Antonucci or Ellie Turner
Prompt Communications on behalf of Stonesoft
Tel: 020 8996 1646 / Out of hours: 07780 687813
stonesoft@prompt-communications.com