Dulles, VA. March 3, 2004 – Encore Networks, a leading developer of integrated IP+Legacy Virtual Private Network (VPN) security solutions, today announced that it has signed a reseller agreement with Skycasters. Skycasters will add Encore’s complete line of IP only and IP+Legacy VPN security appliances to their broadband satellite networks, systems and solutions.

Skycasters, the nations largest value added reseller of the Hughes Direcway satellite internet service provides broadband satellite Internet access and data service to thousands of business, government, educational and non-profit user’s including Dominion Power, Comfort Inns, ChevronTexaco, KFC and the American Red Cross. Headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and Akron, Ohio, Skycasters provides e-mail, web hosting, VPN, firewall and high-speed satellite Internet access to multi-user business customers located in rural or other under-served areas where conventional broadband data service is not cost-effectively available.

“Skycasters will provide immediate access to an impressive customer base enhancing Encore’s strategy of addressing the high performance VPN requirements in the satellite market,” stated Bill Grant, Encore’s Vice-President of Broadband Network Solutions. “Encore’s complete site-to-site satellite VPN solution will fit perfectly into Skycasters product portfolio.”

Encore Network’s VPN security products, including the BANDIT™ and the VSR-30™ are uniquely versatile IP+Legacy and IP only VPN appliances that provide satellite enterprise data networks support for IPsec VPN, stateful inspection firewall, IP routing and QoS, numerous legacy data protocols, and Encore Network's exclusive patent pending breakthrough Selective Layer Encryption (SLE™). The ability to perform SLE™ to IPsec tunnel switching allows satellite operators to offer their customers both end-to-end on-net and off-net VPN solutions. Encore’s solutions enables satellite users, running applications over IP, to realize the benefits of broadband communications without the performance degradation associated with satellite circuits.

“With satellite Internet access, it shouldn’t matter how far the customer is from a central office or depend on other location specific criteria to determine service quality,” said John Williams, CEO of Skycasters. “Encore insures this quality of service by providing the only VPN appliance to date with Selective Layer Encryption for satellite applications that does not degrade throughput.”