BOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts, June 5 /PRNewswire/ --

- X-Series Platform Enables Delivery of 'In-the-Cloud' Virtualised
Firewall Services to Enterprise Customers

Crossbeam Systems, Inc., a leading provider of next-generation security
platforms for high-performance networks, today announced that BT has deployed
Crossbeam's X-Series Next Generation Security Platform to help protect its
internal network as well as deliver a new generation of "in-the-cloud"
virtualised firewall security services to enterprise customers.

Ray Stanton, global head of BT's business continuity, security and
governance practice, said: "BT views in-the-cloud security services as an
important addition to our delivery of Internet-based security services. We
believe virtualised firewall services will increasingly become a cornerstone
of our customers' security strategies and we are now better able to meet that
demand."

Crossbeam's carrier-class security platform is vendor agnostic. BT can
incorporate the security software and virtualise it to provide
multi-application, in-the-cloud security services.

Crossbeam's Next Generation Security Platform delivers two key benefits:

-- Meet growing customer demand for security services - BT can now create
       thousands of virtual instances of Check Point Software's VSX
       virtualised firewall on a single application processor blade within 
       the Crossbeam X-Series platform - providing ample scalability to meet
       customer demand and drive new revenue streams.

    -- Simplify cost and complexity of security - BT saved the expense and
       burden of managing more than 40 security devices and supporting
       hardware by deploying just three Crossbeam platforms to deliver a
       virtualised firewall. BT is able to simplify security management and
       minimise the physical footprint of its security infrastructure, while
       improving performance through Crossbeam's high-throughput,
       carrier-class platform.



Bob Davies, technical services manager of BT Operate, which provides
network management operations and IT infrastructure for various customers,
said: "Crossbeam has allowed us easily to facilitate delivery of virtualised
firewall services and avoid appliance sprawl. We slashed the hardware and
licensing costs plus all the expenses related to maintenance, support, power
and space in our data centres that would otherwise have resulted from a
traditional deployment model. Crossbeam has enabled us to re-design and
simplify our network, while improving security for us and our customers."

The hardware consolidation, power savings and space reduction benefits of
Crossbeam's security platform align with BT's sustainability goals. BT has
taken a leadership stance in supporting green IT initiatives and has already
cut its data centre power usage by 60-70 percent, while lowering costs along
the way.

Virtualisation in carrier-class environments

Crossbeam provides the industry's only open and extensible security
platform that virtualises both network infrastructure and security
applications. This enables customers to collapse entire infrastructure
segments within a single platform and centralise management and security
policy control, while maintaining the carrier-class properties of the
underlying infrastructure. This provides customers with unparalleled
flexibility, scalability and built-in redundancy to intelligently manage
traffic as security and network demands change, without sacrificing
performance.

"Carriers have been eager to take advantage of in-the-cloud security
services, but have been held back by the limitations of traditional hardware
solutions that can't scale or meet the stringent requirements of their
high-performance networks," said Dave Woodcock, vice president, Europe and
Latin America at Crossbeam Systems. "With Crossbeam's Next Generation
Security Platform, BT is realising the promise of true in-the-cloud security
services and is benefiting from the cost, management and environmental
advantages of security virtualisation in carrier-class environments."

The X-Series is the highest-performing platform, tested to wire-line
rates of 40 Gbps with ultra-low latency, enabling customers to enjoy the
benefits of deploying multiple best-of-breed security applications on a
single chassis without sacrificing performance. Carriers use the X-Series to
deliver a new generation of virtualised services such as firewall, VPN and
intrusion prevention, while enterprises deploy the X-Series for consolidation
of security equipment and faster response to the demands of the real-time
enterprise.

About Crossbeam

Crossbeam Systems, Inc. transforms the way enterprises, service providers
and government agencies architect and deliver security services. The basis of
Crossbeam's solution is its Next Generation Security Platform, a highly
scalable hardware platform that facilitates the consolidation, virtualisation
and simplification of security services delivery, while preserving the
customers' choice of best-of-breed security applications. Crossbeam offers
the only security platform that delivers unparalleled network performance,
scalability, adaptability and resiliency. Customers choose Crossbeam to
intelligently manage risk, accelerate and maintain compliance, and protect
their businesses from evolving threats. Crossbeam is headquartered in
Boxborough, Mass., and has offices in Europe and Asia Pacific. More
information is available at: http://www.crossbeam.com

About BT

BT is one of the world's leading providers of communications solutions
and services operating in 170 countries. Its principal activities include the
provision of local, national and international telecommunications services to
our customers for use at home, at work and on the move; higher-value
broadband and internet products and services and converged fixed/mobile
products and services. BT consists principally of four lines of business: BT
Global Services, Openreach, BT Retail and BT Wholesale.

In the year ended 31 March 2007, BT Group plc's revenue was pounds
Sterling 20,223 million with profit before taxation of pounds Sterling 2,484
million.

British Telecommunications plc (BT) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BT
Group and encompasses virtually all businesses and assets of the BT Group. BT
Group plc is listed on stock exchanges in London and New York.

For more information, visit http://www.bt.com/aboutbt

Crossbeam Systems and Crossbeam are registered trademarks of Crossbeam
Systems, Inc. All other company, product or service names not owned by
Crossbeam mentioned in this press release are the property of their
respective owners.

Contact: Sharon Dratch
    Davies Murphy Group
    +1-781-418-2425
    crossbeam@daviesmurphy.com
    http://www.daviesmurphy.com


    Web site: http://www.bt.com/aboutbt
              http://www.crossbeam.com