Press release August 23, 2001

Outline Agreement between Saxony and Nutzwerk
Schools of the federal state of Saxony are using the Nutzwerk security software SaferSurf under exclusive conditions.

Operation 'Finally internet in class' got through to the next round: The federal state of Saxony and the Nutzwerk company signed an outline agreement. This agreement regulates the exclusive buying conditions for the SaferSurf security solution for schools and public institutions. The solution is based on the patented security technology by Nutzwerk und is delivered to schools and public institutions as a complete system.

In order to make usage even easier, Nutzwerk also delivers the optimized hardware. This way entire computer rooms can be connected fast and easily to the internet, and the SaferSurf security solution is already included. At the same time Nutzwerk also delivers a pure software solution. This allows for example for recycling of older computers.

"The aim of our solution is to make teachers and people in charge at administrative bodies and offices bring the good sides of the internet more into play. This medium ought to be acknowledged as teaching aid and source of information the same way as books, films or a language laboratory", says René Holzer, CEO of Nutzwerk.

The required protection for young people and the possible misuse of the internet often puts the persons in charge off making the medium accessible to all students and employees. This deplorable state of affairs cannot be solved by filter software. At www.jugendschutz.net it says: "There is a number of software nannies that claim to be able to filter out questionable contents. Most of them are not effective enough or dubious. They cannot replace pedagogical supervision."

Nutzwerk has chosen a new way to take away these justified fears. A direct and content-related filtering of the data streams and the release of specific internet addresses has some advantages over filter software. Responsibility lies with the people in charge again and not with any software. A gradual extension of allowed internet addresses up to and including free surfing without supervision enables students to learn how to responsibly deal with the internet.

"There are no more reasons to say: 'Internet in class causes too many problems'", says Dr Frank Petzold from the Agency for Knowledge and Technology Transfer at the Dresden University of Technology, GWT-TUD. The head of the department for patent exploitation called the ministry's attention to Nutzwerk.

"Our approach of pooling allowed addresses rather than creating hard to maintain blocking lists like in AOL is very successful. What works at schools and stands up to all regulations for the protection of young people is going to work at libraries and other public institutions as well", says Nutzwerk's CEO Holzer.

Interested schools can test this Nutzwerk solution for free and get to know the simple and secure user interface at www.nutzwerk.de/safersurf/testen.html.