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Founded in 1985 and eventually acquired by Intel in 1998.

Founded in 1985, Shiva Corporation is the leader in remote access technology, providing a full line of remote products and services for telecommuters, small branch offices, Internet service providers and large enterprise networks. The company provides secure, easy-to-use, scaleable and cost-effective remote access solutions that meet the needs of non-technical end users and network managers alike. A public company headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts, Shiva has over 70,000 remote access servers installed, with customers in 800 of the Fortune 1000 companies.

Shiva products for Windows, DOS, Macintosh and UNIX environments feature multi-protocol dial-in and shared dial-out access, LAN-to-LAN routing and networking. The products differ from those of other vendors based on their ease of use, optimization for remote access and their ability to deliver true end-to-end performance across multiple platforms and protocols for single or multiple users.

As an industry leader, Shiva has forged alliances with Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Nortel and Microsoft. In August of 1995, Shiva acquired Spider Systems, a leader in ISDN, making the combined entity a truly global networking solutions provider. The acquisition has expanded the company's remote access offerings in addition to increasing its international presence. With its breadth of products, services and partnerships, combined with a singular focus on remote access, Shiva is the vendor of choice for millions of network managers worldwide.

History

In 1987, Shiva introduced NetModem, the first integrated dial-in remote access product for the Apple Macintosh. NetModem quickly became the best-selling network modem for AppleTalk environments and set the standard for remote access on the Macintosh. In 1991, Shiva introduced NetModem/E, the only cross-platform, multi-protocol dial-in communications server in the industry.

In 1992, Shiva introduced LanRover/L, the first dedicated remote networking server for PowerBooks and Macintosh computers running Apple Remote Access. Also in 1992, Shiva launched LanRover/E, the first product targeted to enterprise-wide networks with hundreds of remote users. In 1994, Shiva introduced the LanRover/PLUS family, the only multi-protocol remote access servers that support both integrated and external modems and ISDN terminal adapters.

Products

The LanRover Product Family

Shiva's LanRover family of high-performance, multi-platform, multi-protocol remote access servers enables corporations to link telecommuters, traveling workers and remote offices to headquarters LANs and public networks with all the functionality and ease-of-use of a direct network connection. LanRovers provide remote node dial-in access to the full range of information and applications on the network, including electronic mail and file transfer, as well as access to database and mainframe applications. They enable shared dial-out to on-line information services and send-fax support for LAN-attached PCs, in addition to LAN-to-LAN services over analog or digital dial-up lines.

For small or branch offices, Shiva offers the LanRover/2E PLUS, a two-slot remote access server that can be configured with any combination of the following modules: V.34/33.6 kbps internal modems, high-speed asynchronous serial ports and basic rate ISDN (BRI) adapters. The LanRover/E and LanRover/T are 4- or 8- port non-modular departmental remote access servers for users on Ethernet or Token Ring networks. The LanRover/PLUS servers for Ethernet or Token Ring networks provide all of the functionality of the LanRover in a modular eight-slot form factor. The scaleable product is designed to accommodate both analog and digital users and allows for easy upgrades as remote access needs grow and change. The LanRover/PLUS product can be configured with the same mix-and-match modules used in the LanRover/2E PLUS. The LanRover family is also available on an enterprise scale. The LanRover/Stack offers all the high-performance functionality of an individual LanRover in 32-, 64-, 96- or 128-port configurations.

The LanRover and NetModem servers are accessed by users with Shiva's award-winning ShivaRemote client software. The client provides an essential part of Shiva's end-to-end solution and is included with the server. The Multilink PPP 32-bit VxD Windows client is optimized for use over analog and digital lines and its feature set focuses on ease of use and deployability. Shiva is the first company to extend the benefits of ISDN all the way to the client, including transparent virtual connections, high-performance MLP channel aggregation and efficient Tariff Managementâ„¢ technology to minimize and control telecommunication charges.

For network managers, Shiva Net Manager® provides centralized management for the LanRover products and is available for Macintosh and Windows environments. Shiva Net Manager

The NetModem Product Family

For smaller branch offices and workgroups, Shiva offers the single-port NetModem/E 28.8. As a plug-and-play server, the NetModem/E 28.8 provides dial-in, dial-out access and LAN-to-LAN routing. It is a complete, stand-alone device consisting of a dedicated communications server, V.34 modem and Ethernet interface. In addition to dial-in access, the NetModem/E 28.8 provides shared dial-out access to on-line information services and the Internet. It even allows users to send faxes from their desktop. Network managers can also use the server to interconnect LANs over standard phone lines, enabling users to communicate as if they were on a single network.

LanRover Access Switch

Shiva's award-winning LanRover functionality is now available on a multi-processing switching architecture designed to support over 100 concurrent analog and ISDN sessions. The LanRover Access Switch features very high port density and extensive call control capabilities making it appropriate for Enterprise, Telco and Internet Service Provider environments. The LanRover Access Switch design is scalable and modular, which makes it easy to integrate new technologies and provide maximum investment protection. All of Shiva's remote access features are included, such as ease of management, robust security, remote dial-in ease of use, multi-protocol/multi-client support, full dial-out, and Tariff Management.

AccessPort

The Shiva AccessPort is an ISDN client router that is ideal for telecommuters, remote offices, and small businesses that want to connect to the corporate LAN and the Internet. The Shiva AccessPort offers high performance ISDN access that is easy and secure, and Tariff Management features reduce the phone charges associated with remote access. The Shiva AccessPort is a perfect counterpart to central site concentrators like the Shiva Access Switch. It also works seamlessly with other solutions that support Multilink PPP and STAC compression.

ShivaRemote

ShivaRemote for Windows is Shiva's award-winning PPP dial-in client for PCs running Windows 3.1 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. It enables secure, multiprotocol Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) dial-in connections to IPX, TCP/IP, NetBEUI, and 802.2/LLC networks with any of Shiva's remote access servers (LanRover, NetModem, and LanRover Access Switch), as well as third party servers. Implemented as a performance-optimized 32-bit VxD, ShivaRemote for Windows offers dial-in support for over hundreds of analog modems and ISDN devices. It provides support for client event logging, STAC data compression, virtual connections, and Multilink PPP (MLP). Integrated MLP support enables remote Windows dial-in users to send data over both 64 Kbps Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) Basic Rate Interface (BRI) B-channels for aggregated throughput over four times faster than a 28.8 Kbps analog connection.

ShivaRemote for Windows also provides an intelligent client installation wizard with communications adapter autodetection and power switching, online help, connection file mastering, and client installation scripting to simplify remote access client PC configuration issues associated with global deployment.

PowerBurst

Shiva PowerBurst is the award-winning remote node acceleration software. Designed for enterprises with remote employees, PowerBurst dramatically increases dial-in and Lan-to-Lan access performance over 200% by storing frequently accessed network data in the hard disk cache on the remote client PC. PowerBurst is the only acceleration solution fully integrated into the ShivOS operating system and ShivaRemote client software. This integration eliminates the effort and administration burden associated with installation, configuration and deployment.

Shiva AccessManager

The Shiva AccessManager is a strongly featured, fully supported, standards-based security and accounting solution that allows large enterprises and Internet Service Providers/Carriers to control and manage remote user access. The Shiva AccessManager is the first protocol-independent authentication, authorization and accounting solution for Windows NT, Windows 95 and Windows 3.11, answering to a growing demand from many organizations for comprehensive, centralized, cost-effective access management.

The ShivaPort Product Family

Communication servers are the most cost-effective means of connecting large numbers of terminals, printers, modems and other serial devices to a Local Area Network. The ShivaPort is a high-performance multi-protocol communications server for Ethernet networks, available in 8, 16 or 32 lines. It provides unmatched functionality and performance, including simple terminal access, comprehensive security, printing and network management features and high-speed remote access.

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