HELIUS OPTIMIZED™ UPGRADE INCREASES DATA THROUGHPUT UP TO 400 PERCENT

OREM, Utah – March 22, 1999 – Helius, Inc. today released version 2.2 of its Network Edition for DirecPC software, connecting local area networks (LANs) to satellites for high-speed Internet access from any location. In version 2.2, upgraded Helius Optimized™ technology increases data throughput 200-400 percent over other satellite-based data solutions. IP Multicast and Digital Package Delivery features, previously sold separately, are also included in the upgraded software package at no additional cost.

"Helius continues to lead the industry in software development for satellite data systems and local area networks," said Myron Mosbarger, president of Helius, Inc. "Today, organizations everywhere can benefit from high-speed, low-cost Internet access and further increase transmission efficiency with Helius software."

According to lab tests, Helius Optimized technology increases throughput on the DirecPC service by 200-400 percent. Plus, load balancing, or equal sharing of the service among multiple users, is improved more than 300 percent over another product running DirecPC on a network.

Advanced Packet Filtering™ (APF) increases realized throughput by eliminating non-essential data and ensuring only real data is sent and received over the Internet connection. Additionally, since Helius Optimized software follows true network server design, data service is handled with greater stability and efficiency.

Dynamic Service Multiplexer™ (DSM) improves network client load balancing by aggregating available satellite service into a single service pool and making it shareable to all computers connected to the LAN. By dynamically updating the pool, DSM maximizes throughput for each networked client. When tested, all clients on the Helius Optimized network had very consistent performance, taking 33-42 seconds for each client to download the file. In the same test, another product running DirecPC for a network was not only less consistent, but also took longer to download data, with clients waiting from 98 seconds to more than 3 minutes (184 seconds) to download the same file.

"The Helius Optimized test results quantify customer savings," said Anita Lowe, Network Edition product manager at Helius. "In addition, version 2.2 includes previously separate delivery features into a single software package. This further simplifies the purchase and installation process."

Helius' Network Edition for DirecPC v2.2 delivers IP Multicasting to LANs independent of an Internet service provider's (ISP) capabilities. Video and audio streams are quickly delivered for real-time viewing of educational courses, business meetings and news. Digital Package Delivery enables an organization to broadcast digital information from one source to many locations, at extremely high speeds (3 megabits per second) and with complete security. This is ideal for large corporations with branch offices, as well as software companies that want to offer immediate updates to customers with site licenses.

Also in this upgrade, customers will notice a change in the authentication process. Licenses are assigned a site identification number rather than the satellite card serial number. This change eases the customer's ability to replace the card if necessary.

Pricing and Availability - Network Edition software is available as a software package or with the all-in-one Helius Satellite Router™ released March 1. Network Edition for DirecPC runs native on Windows NT, Novell NetWare and Linux; the Helius Satellite Router runs with any network operating system. A basic software license includes up to 30 concurrent users for US $1,299. Existing Network Edition for DirecPC customers can upgrade their software for US $299; lite licenses for Internet only for 2-4 users are available for US $199. Pricing for the Helius Satellite Router starts as low as US $2,499.

Helius, Inc., a privately owned, Orem, Utah-based company founded in 1995, developed the first software to manage Internet transmissions from satellites to local area networks. Helius Optimized software improves the efficiency and usability of satellite transmissions for the network environment. Helius, Inc. is a Canopy Group holding under the Ray Noorda/Canopy Group Investment Company. Ray Noorda is the former CEO of Novell, Inc. (NASDAQ:NOVL). For more information about Helius and its products visit http://www.helius.com or call 1-888-764-9020.

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Advanced Packet Filtering, Dynamic Service Multiplexer, Helius, Helius Optimized and Helius Satellite Router are trademarks of Helius, Inc.