ICAEW Counts on VIA NET.WORKS to Deliver High-Availability Managed Hosting Solution

LONDON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- VIA NET.WORKS, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNWI; EASE), a leading provider of business communications solutions to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), today announced the successful implementation of a secure, high-availability managed hosting solution for the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW): www.icaew.co.uk.

VIA was awarded the two-year contract to host and manage the dynamic database-driven site following a competitive tender process against six other companies. VIA was selected due to the technical strength and scalability of the proposed hosting solution and the confidence the ICAEW had that VIA could deliver the services to robust service level agreements.

The ICAEW is actively developing a range of online services for its members and the public, creating an integrated, dynamic database-driven site.

Chris Leicester, ICAEW Web Development Manager, said: "Our site is a business critical part of the Institute's operation. We were impressed by the total solution that VIA offered. The solution was customized to address our very specific needs. They not only fulfilled our technical requirements but also put forward customer service focused features that gave us a greater level of transparency over the whole service. We were also impressed with the way VIA conducted the whole planning and implementation of the project to time and budget."

Keith Westcott, Senior VP, VIA Industry Solutions Group commented: "The selection process for the award of this contract was extremely rigorous and competitive. We are obviously delighted with the successful delivery of ICAEW's hosting solution. It is further evidence that our solid understanding of the business services market sector and our managed hosting and security expertise form a powerful combination, resulting in solutions that deliver long-term value to our customers."

The ICAEW's Accountancy qualifications examination results are published online five times a year, resulting in sudden extreme peaks in web page requests. The site also offers on-line registration for membership; application for exams; a recruitment section allowing CVs to be uploaded and vacancies posted and special offer subscriptions.

To ensure site performance does not degrade during peak demand periods, the site is replicated and hosted across four managed hosting servers with requests routed between them using Alteon web switches. The hosting solution has been designed to cater for one million page impressions per month, with headroom capacity and performance to handle double the specified load.

ICAEW's Web Development team has direct secure access through a VIA- developed Web portal to remotely monitor the servers in real-time and administer site content. Redundancy is built in through the provision of back- up hardware including switches and firewalls.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales is the largest professional accountancy body in Europe, with over 125,000 members. Three thousand new members qualify each year. The prestigious qualifications offered by the Institute are recognized around the world and allow members to call themselves Chartered Accountants and to use the designatory letters ACA or FCA.

The Institute operates under a Royal Charter, working in the public interest. Its primary objectives are to educate and train chartered accountants, to maintain high standards for professional conduct among members, to provide services to its members and students, and to advance the theory and practice of accountancy.

VIA NET.WORKS, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNWI; Euronext) is a leading provider of business communication solutions to small and medium-sized businesses in Europe and the United States. With the acquisition of European hosting company, AMEN S.A.S., the combined businesses serve more than 200,000 customers. The group's comprehensive portfolio of business communications services includes hosting, security, connectivity, networks, voice and professional services.

VIA's two business units reflect its SME-centric and vertical market- focused approach: VIA Industry Solutions offers managed business communications solutions in specific vertical market segments. VIA Express specialises in value-priced service bundles through highly automated online and telesales channels. Through its solutions, partnerships and focused sales channels, VIA is in a unique position to deliver long-term value-added services to its many customers and reseller partners. For further information, please visit our website: www.vianetworks.com