MEMORIAL HEALTHCARE TO DEPLOY XYLOC MD AS PART OF INITIATIVE TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF PATIENT CARE

Solution Provides Convenient, Continuous, and Automatic Security of Patient Information;
Takes Security Burden Off of Users

Ann Arbor, Mich., November 11, 2002— Ensure Technologies, the leader in intelligent digital information security solutions, today announced that Owosso-based Memorial Healthcare has selected XyLoc MD™ as part of a larger strategic initiative to bring more nurses and other healthcare providers closer to the patient bedside. Implementation of this new technology to enhance patient care follows extensive evaluation, selection and pilot phases of XyLoc MD, and full deployment is expected in early December of this year.

This new technology includes the placement of secured personal computers (PCs) at patient bedsides. Ensure Technologies' XyLoc MD provides full-time access control for these (and other) PCs while simultaneously making them easier to use through automatic logon to Memorial Healthcare's Meditech patient records software. In fact, Memorial Healthcare will be the first hospital nationwide to fully implement roaming capabilities using XyLoc MD and Citrix, enabling healthcare providers' active sessions to follow them from room-to-room. XyLoc MD also addresses HIPAA privacy regulations due to go into effect in April 2003 by ensuring that patient records are automatically secured as soon as the healthcare provider steps away from the PC.

Memorial Healthcare is a 131-bed not-for-profit Michigan hospital and health system serving a population of 105,000. Its current initiative proactively addresses the local impact of the current nation-wide nursing shortage. "As the population ages and the need for acute care grows, the severity of this shortage will have serious consequences for all hospitals and health systems," said Cheryl Peterson, vice president of patient care services at Memorial Healthcare. "This new technology increases the efficiency of nursing professionals, keeping them at the patient's bedside delivering care and enabling the hospital staff as a whole to further enhance the high quality, personal care already found at Memorial."

"The goal of our initiative is not to deploy technology for technology's sake - it is to enhance patient care. Bedside access to PC-based records and applications literally brings healthcare providers closer to patients and enables them to make the best use of their time and resources," said Tom Ogg, vice president/CIO of Memorial Healthcare. "With XyLoc MD, the power of our technology infrastructure will be leveraged by the provider wearing their XyLoc KeyCard and remembering one password. This dramatically decreases the burden of compliance with security policies and lets our providers focus on the patient. Additionally, the roaming feature using XyLoc MD and Citrix allows the clinicians secure access to their active session when moving from one room to another without the hassle of signing on and off every time they change location."

"We believe Memorial Healthcare is taking a smart approach to improving the quality of patient care through the use of technology," said Randy Meader, vice president of domestic sales at Ensure. "Too often organizations deploy technology without considering its impact on users and their workflow. While Memorial Healthcare has recognized the value of decentralizing access to patient information so that more time can be spent bedside with patients, it has also understood the importance of making those PCs more secure and easy to use. We are confident that XyLoc MD will enhance the quality of patient care by freeing healthcare providers to use new technology more efficiently."

About XyLoc MD

XyLoc MD provides full-time access control to PCs and patient data, continuously authorizing healthcare workers without burdening them with cumbersome security protocols. Doctors and nurses at XyLoc-protected facilities have immediate access to patient data and other information, but XyLoc MD secures their workstations the moment they step away.

Healthcare professionals are recognized based on their proximity to departmental PCs. Users wear unique XyLoc KeyCards (that can also double as their hospital ID badge) that communicate securely with proximity detection hardware and sophisticated software residing on each workstation. A computer is unlocked only after XyLoc has identified and authenticated a user.

Authentication can be as easy as walking up to the computer, or as robust as requiring the user to input their name and password in addition to possessing the KeyCard. Users need to remember only one password and with XyLoc's Single Sign On functionality all of their applications and records will automatically appear each time they approach a workstation. However, as soon as the user walks away from the computer, XyLoc MD secures the PC and the applications until the user returns or another authorized user approaches.

In instances where multiple authorized users are in the area, XyLoc MD allows the appropriate person to select his or her name from a list of detected users. XyLoc's Secured Kiosk feature allows multiple users to share a single network account, which results in fast yet secure access to the network and applications. XyLoc's Roaming System Access allows healthcare practitioners to have their applications and records follow them from PC to PC as they do their rounds. The end result is a security solution that protects patient records without reducing the quality of patient care.

About Memorial Healthcare

Memorial Healthcare is a 131-bed not-for-profit Michigan hospital and health system serving a population of 105,000. Memorial Healthcare offers skilled, compassionate care with state-of-the-art technology in a wide array of services including cancer care, neurology, obstetrics, pediatrics, emergency care and rehabilitation. Surgical services include inpatient and outpatient procedures in the areas of gastroenterology, general and vascular surgery, pacemakers and syncope implants, ear, nose and throat, gynecology, oral/maxillofacial surgery, ophthalmology, orthopedics, thoracic and urology. The hospital has been in existence since 1921 and patients consistently rate their overall satisfaction at 92% or higher. In 2002, Memorial Healthcare was designated as one of the nation's Top 100 "Most Wired" health care systems recognizing Memorial's commitment to providing the most up-to-date services and technology to patients.

About Ensure Technologies

Headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Ensure Technologies (www.ensuretech.com) is the leader in intelligent digital information security solutions designed to protect an organization's intellectual property and physical computing assets from internal security breaches - conveniently, automatically and transparently. Ensure's XyLoc products apply the innovative, patented technologies of full-time access control and proximity-based authentication to guard corporate data. XyLoc delivers security with convenience and personalization at leading organizations in healthcare, financial services, government, manufacturing, and law throughout the world.

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