Independent Testing Shows Blue Coat WebFilter as the Most Comprehensive URL Filtering Database
Broadband Testing Compared URL Filtering Databases Of Industry Leaders -- Blue Coat WebFilter Outperformed Competitors By More Than 60%
SUNNYVALE, Calif., June 30, 2005 -- Blue Coat® Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: BCSI), a leading provider of proxy appliances, today announced that independent testing conducted by Broadband Testing (Moux, France) shows Blue Coat WebFilter as the most comprehensive URL filtering database, in a comparison of leading databases that includes Blue Coat WebFilter, Websense, Secure Computing SmartFilter, SurfControl, and CyberGuard Webwasher.
The test results, available as a download from www.broadband-testing.co.uk, showed the Blue Coat WebFilter database outperforming its competitors by up to 62% in website coverage. The testing compared URL filtering databases against a list of 2 million URLs to determine which database possessed the most comprehensive listing of websites, in key categories such as pornography, gambling and spyware. URL filtering databases are typically incorporated into proxy appliances, firewalls and other network infrastructure equipment to restrict corporate users’ access to unwanted sites.
“Blue Coat WebFilter is by far the most comprehensive filtering database in the test,” said Steve Broadhead, director of Broadband Testing. “We compared all the leading URL databases and Blue Coat finished well ahead of its competitors. Each database supplier goes about finding and updating its URL lists differently, but it seems that Blue Coat’s methodology is clearly superior currently.”
“The dynamic nature of the Internet requires a URL filtering database that can keep with the constantly changing stream of web addresses,” said Steve Mullaney, vice president of marketing for Blue Coat. “WebFilter uses our unique Dynamic Real-Time Rating technology to classify websites ‘on the fly’ for those URLs that are not already categorized within the on-proxy database. No other database has that capability.”
The overall findings are included below. Broadband Testing is one of Europe’s foremost independent network testing facilities and a consultancy organization for broadband and network infrastructure products. The test methodology for measuring URL filtering databases involved creating a master list of URLs obtained using Win Web Crawler. Two million URLs were culled from 148 search engines in more than 30 countries. A consistent test environment, using Blue Coat ProxySG™ 400, which can support multiple different URLs filtering databases, was used to compare how well each database categorized the URLs.
About Blue Coat Systems
Blue Coat helps organizations make the Web safe and productive for business. Blue Coat proxy appliances provide visibility and control of Web communications to protect against risks from spyware, Web viruses, inappropriate Web surfing, instant messaging (IM), video streaming and peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing – while actually improving Web performance. Trusted by many of the world's largest organizations, Blue Coat has shipped more than 20,000 proxy appliances. Blue Coat is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, and can be reached at (408) 220-2200 or www.bluecoat.com.
FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: The statements contained in this press release that are not purely historical are forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Blue Coat Systems' expectations, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. All forward-looking statements included in this press release are based upon information available to Blue Coat Systems as of the date hereof, and Blue Coat Systems assumes no obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. These and other risks relating to Blue Coat Systems' business are set forth in Blue Coat Systems' most recently filed Form 10-Q for the quarter ended January 31, 2005, and other reports filed from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
