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Press Release

New Application Performance Index (Apdex) Integrated into the OmniAnalysis Platform v4.0

Created by the Apdex Alliance (a program of the IEEE-ISTO), the new index is the first to represent the quality of experience (QoE) of end-users interacting with applications

Walnut Creek, California, April 11, 2006 - WildPackets Inc., innovators in advanced network analysis, today announced support for the Application Performance Index (Apdex) in the WildPackets OmniAnalysis Platform v4.0. Representing a fresh new approach to application analysis, Apdex is designed to gauge the level of satisfaction or quality of experience (QoE) of end-users, ranging from frustrated to tolerating to satisfactory. A poor Apdex rating can equate to a loss in productivity. By incorporating Apdex scores in its application analysis, the OmniAnalysis Platform makes it easy for IT organizations to promptly detect and correct application problems affecting the work and online experience of end-users.

The Need for Apdex

Application response time, round-trip network delay, server responsiveness, database transactions per second and number of turns, are all attempts to measure how well an IT infrastructure is performing. But these metrics usually fail to reflect the real effect of application performance on business objectives, such as return on investment due to application changes, network upgrades, database rollouts and server upgrades.

The WildPackets Solution

In the new release of the WildPackets OmniAnalysis Platform, the company’s application analysis expert has been extended to compute Apdex scores for all popular applications and user activities, such as web surfing, checking email, SQL-based order entry and CRM applications. The resultant index is a score between 0 and 1, with 0 meaning no satisfied users (unacceptable application performance) and 1 meaning that all users are satisfied (excellent application performance).

Rather than simply measuring the response time to a GET or SELECT command sent to a server, the index is derived by measuring the responsiveness of an application (the information a user needs to complete a task or move on to the next step.) A simple example is the amount of time to load a Web page.

Immediate benefits of such a platform can be realized by measuring and base-lining the current user experience. More importantly, IT departments now have a way to determine if a notable change in a currently monitored metric, such as network utilization, or a major IT upgrade, is having an impact where it counts most – the end-user.

About the Apdex Alliance

A program within the IEEE-ISTO, the Apdex Alliance is a growing group of companies collaborating to establish an application performance index. These companies have identified the need to have a clear and consistent way to report on application performance. This methodology is applicable to a broad range of products and services. Please visit the alliance Web site at www.apdex.org for more details.

About WildPackets OmniAnalysis Platform

The OmniAnalysis Platform gives network engineers real-time visibility into every part of the network - simultaneously from a single console - including Gigabit, 10/100, 802.11 wireless, VoIP, and WAN links to remote offices. Using the OmniAnalysis Platform's local capture capabilities, centralized console, distributed engines, and expert analysis, engineers can rapidly troubleshoot faults and fix problems, restoring essential services and maximizing network uptime and user satisfaction. Of all network analyzers and consoles available today, only OmniPeek enables network engineers to monitor multiple parts of the network simultaneously and independently - an important capability when engineers know there’s a problem but not where it is.

About WildPackets Inc.

Since 1990 WildPackets has been developing innovative, high-quality, easy-to-use and valuable solutions to maintain the health and integrity of critical data-in-motion. From the desktop to the datacenter, wired to wireless, distributed and local, WildPackets products enable IT organizations to monitor, troubleshoot, and secure their network systems. Sold in over 60 countries through a broad network of channel and strategic partners, WildPackets products are deployed in all industrial sectors, including 80% of the Fortune 1000. For further information, please visit www.wildpackets.com.

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