NEI Announces Next-Generation Appliance Element Manager 3.0

Enhanced Smart Services makes it easier for software developers to build
secure, hardened solutions that deliver the promise of low lifecycle
maintenance.

CANTON, Mass., Nov. 12 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- NEI (Nasdaq: NENG), a leading
provider of application platforms, appliances and deployment services for
software developers, OEMs and service providers worldwide, today announced the
general availability of NEI Element Manager 3.0 with new and enriched Smart
Services. Element Manager 3.0 allows software developers to quickly build and
deploy secure, hardened solutions, with low-maintenance lifecycle management
in both physical and virtual environments. End-user enterprises benefit from
its award-winning health, update and backup capabilities - all of which make
applications easier to maintain and support.

NEI Element Manager 3.0 is a complete, light-weight supervisory and alarming
console used to monitor appliance health, automate alarming and updates,
deploy OS and application patches, schedule backups and restore field-deployed
appliances. Version 3.0 includes advanced tools and resources to help
customers scale and manage deployments, including:

-- Multi-Appliance Console - Maintenance for all deployed appliances can
be
performed from a single appliance without the need for a separate,
dedicated management server. This approach simplifies management of
the
units, leading to support and cost savings. Once appliances are added
to
the console they can then be grouped by location, type, network or any
user desired format. The ability to group appliances simplifies the
console display and allows commands to be executed against a specific
set of appliances with a single action. Configuration backup, image
backup and update install can all be performed from the
Multi-Appliance
Console.
-- Smart Task Manager - Reduces end user maintenance requirements by
predefining and scheduling cleanup, archive and backup tasks. The
Smart
Task Manager allows the end user to adjust schedule times and define
the
location to archive files on the local network. Smart Task Manager
comes
with predefined scripts and is integrated with the NEI Image
Customizer,
allowing software vendors to easily add tasks to simplify maintenance
of
the application stack. In addition to coordinating routine
maintenance,
the feature can be used to periodically capture appliance information
and send it to a central location for analytics. This allows the
appliance vendors to improve the support of field deployments by
providing feedback on actual usage.
-- Update Manager Enhancements - Provides a facility to update all
software
on the appliance. These upgrades improve performance, reduce network
traffic and enhance error recovery and reporting. This feature
provides
a robust and durable solution for software vendors to easily deliver a
wider variety of updates and upgrades in both phone home and dark site
formats.
-- Virtual Appliance - The Element Manager has been restructured to
enable
virtual appliance deployments where dual-boot, multi-partition
implementations are not required. This allows software vendors to
deliver physical and virtual appliances as a common solution with
identical look and feel and feature set, simplifying support and
maintenance

-- Expanded OS Support - Element Manager 3.0 has been qualified with the
2.6.29 Linux kernel under NEI's Linux Package Management Service for
both 32- and 64-bit applications. Element Manager 3.0 also has been
qualified with Windows 2008 Server Standard Edition R2, Windows 2008
Enterprise Edition R2 and Windows XP Pro. Support continues for
Windows
Server 2003 Standard and Enterprise Editions.

"NEI Element Manager allows software developers to fulfill the appliance-model
promise of low-maintenance lifecycle management," said Jeff Hudgins, vice
president marketing, NEI. "With the release of Element Manager 3.0, we are
satisfying the growing demand for greater ease of use, reduced complexity and
scalability for enterprises with multiple deployed appliances."

More information about NEI's Element Manager is available at
http://www.nei.com/smart_services.

About NEI
NEI is a leading provider of application platforms, appliances and support
services for software developers, OEMs and service providers worldwide.
Through its comprehensive suite of services that include solution design,
integration control, support and other value-added service capabilities, NEI
enables customers to more effectively deploy, manage, service and support
their solutions. Founded in 1997, NEI is headquartered in Canton,
Massachusetts and trades on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol NENG. For
more information about NEI's products and services, visit www.nei.com.

NEI and the NEI logo are trademarks of Network Engines, Inc. All other names,
brands and trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

Editorial Contact:
Lisa Cliver
NEI
972-633-3491
lisa.cliver@nei.com

SOURCE NEI

Lisa Cliver of NEI, +1-972-633-3491, lisa.cliver@nei.com