Madge
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Madge improves network health for the Rhone-Alps Regional
Health Insurance Fund
High performance switched Token Ring network provides enhanced service
performance for 2,500 network users at Caisse Regionale d'Assurance
Maladie (CRAM)
Wexham Springs, UNITED KINGDOM (December 19, 2001)
- Madge Networks N.V. (NASDAQ NM: MADGF) has completed a major upgrade
project at Rhone Alps Caisse Regionale d'Assurance Maladie (CRAM),
the French regional statutory pension and health insurance fund. CRAM
has deployed Madge Smart Ringswitch Plus™ and Smart DeskStream™ switches
to provide connectivity between its existing Token Ring infrastructure
and its Ethernet network, creating a new, high performance, integrated
switched infrastructure. The Madge solution will deliver centralised
management and control of CRAM's network and increase availability
of key systems, eliminating performance bottlenecks and enabling CRAM
to meet user demands as network traffic increases.
The Madge solution was selected as part of a comprehensive project
to upgrade CRAM's 2,500-user network and is designed to increase network
bandwidth. The upgrade will optimise the company's existing Token
Ring investments, whilst providing a platform for Gigabit Ethernet
Server and Gigabit backbone connectivity in the future. CRAM has installed
40 Smart DeskStream workgroup switches and Smart Ringswitch Gigabit
Uplink Modules for high-speed interconnection between the Token Ring
and Ethernet networks. The solution will immediately deliver efficiency
improvements, both between the servers and to the desktop, for CRAM's
2,500 network users.
"Last year some 28,000 pension and health cases were processed
by CRAM and it soon became apparent that our existing network could
not cope with the high volume of traffic that this generated," said
Patrick Pignerol, Network and IT Support Manager, Rhone Alps CRAM. "CRAM
needed a cost-effective way to improve network performance and Madge
was the only solution that met with all of our criteria in terms of
cost, performance and product support.
"The decision to interconnect the Token Ring networks through
Gigabit Ethernet backbones - using the translation solutions embedded
in the products - allowed us to better position the company both from
a technical and efficiency point of view. Working with Madge was very
productive and profitable for CRAM's statutory pension and health
insurance fund - we now have a network that meets the performance
and reliability our users expect and provides us with a network perfectly
adapted to emerging technologies," added Patrick Pignerol.
About Caisse Regionale d' Assurance Maladie (CRAM)
CRAM consists of eight administrative departments that manage the
workers' pension fund for the Rhone-Alps region, which represents
a yearly payment of some FRF40 billion. Moreover, it handles the
individual accounts of 9,000,000 social policyholders. Some 700,000
Social Data Annual Declarations forms (DADS) are reviewed each
year to fund these accounts. The social welfare contribution of
the Rhone-Alps
CRAM amounts to more than FRF200 million a year in personal assistance
to elderly people, contribution to housing conditions improvement,
home help and special dependency benefit. Through its social service
in every department, CRAM is involved in fighting health problems
related to social exclusion by offering access to care, professional
reintegration and home maintenance or return for elderly or disabled
people. CRAM also develops a prevention policy against on-the-job
accidents, accidents on the journey to or from work, and occupational
diseases.
About Madge Networks N.V.
Madge Networks N.V. (NASDAQ NM: MADGF) is a global supplier of advanced
networking product solutions to large enterprises, and is the
market leader in Token Ring. Madge is pioneering next generation
networking
solutions, which enable the painless deployment of 100Mbps and
Gigabit speed IP-based applications within existing corporate
networks while
protecting customers' investments in Token Ring. Madge Networks
also has an associate company, Red-M™, a leading supplier
of wireless networking product solutions. The Company's main business
centers are located in Wexham Springs, United Kingdom and Manasquan,
New Jersey. Information about Madge's complete range of products
and services can be accessed at www.Madge.com.
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act Statement
Investors should take note that certain statements in this press
release are forward-looking and may not give full weight to all
of the potential
risks e.g. difficulty of developing high technology products,
changing industry standards, competition, the challenge of managing
expenses
to changing revenue and changed priorities and resource allocation
resulting from these and other factors). Forward-looking statements
in this press release include statements that refer to the delivery
of a centralised management and control, the increased availability
of key systems eliminating performance bottlenecks, enabling CRAM
to meet user demands as network traffic increases and that the
solution will immediately deliver efficiency improvements and
other statements,
which are not completely historical. Actual results, actions or
events could differ materially. For more information on risk factors,
please refer to Madge's SEC filings.
Madge, the Madge logo, Smart DeskStream and Smart Ringswitch Plus
are trademarks, and in some jurisdictions may be registered trademarks
of Madge Networks or its affiliated companies. Red-M is a trademark,
and in some jurisdictions may be a registered trademark of Red-M (Communications)
Limited. Other trademarks in this document are the property of their
respective owners.
For further information, please contact:
In the UK:
Simon Drennan
Madge Networks
Tel: +44 1753 661 000
Email: simon.drennan@madge.com
Simon Gribbon
IBA, PR for Madge Networks
Tel: +44 1780 721 433
Email: sgribbon@iba-europe.com
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