Press Release 42U DirectNET Achieved #1 VAR of the Year for Minicom

Broomfield, CO – January 17, 2005: Minicom Advanced Systems, a leading manufacturer of innovative KVM switches, AV digital signage solutions, and Computer Based Training systems, announced today that DirectNET Inc., a National Value-Added Reseller (VAR) of KVM switch solutions, has obtained the status of the #1 VAR for Minicom for 2004.

"We are particularly proud of our association with DirectNET," said Saul Mishaan, President of Minicom North America. "Their success reaffirms Minicom’s commitment to building and nurturing long-term partnerships with our customers and vendors. DirectNET is one of the most technically knowledgeable companies in the KVM industry and their proven record of exceeding customer expectations is certainly one of the keys to their success with selling Minicom products. We intend to nurture that partnership through 2005 by providing support for DirectNET’s multiple sales channels."

Alan Mamane, CEO of DirectNET, credits DirectNET’s two strongest business units for the achievement. “This year our 42U KVM Switch Solutions sales force have aggressively infiltrated the enterprise and mid-range data center market, and that success has lead to us maintaining our Top Vendor status with Minicom and other vendors,” said Mr. Mamane. 42U is currently the national leader of enterprise KVM Switch Solutions. Mr. Mamane also commented that the success of KVM Switches Online, the largest KVM Switch e-commerce store in USA, generated more volume sales for Minicom’s KVM Switch products due to the ability of consumers to easily click and buy. “We are pleased with our Minicom sales performance this year and with the introduction of Minicom’s new Cat5 KVM Switches; the DX 432 & the DX 832, we expect even greater growth in our sales of Minicom products for 2005,” said Mr. Mamane.

About DirectNET, Inc.
DirectNET, founded in 1995, is comprised of three independent business units: 42U, Server Racks Online and KVM Switches Online. 42U is the leading VAR of enterprise KVM Switch Solutions. KVM Switches Online is the largest KVM Switch e-commerce store in the US. Server Racks Online is the one and only online rack superstore in the US. All three companies were developed as a response to the overwhelming need for independent datacenter and server management solutions. As a result of the success of all three business units, DirectNET has over the last couple of years, become the number one reseller of the major KVM and server rack brands in the market.

For corporate information please visit our DirecNET Web site at www.directnet.us.
For server management product information please visit our 42U Web site at www.42U.com.

About Minicom Advanced Systems
Minicom (www.minicom.com) is a leading manufacturer of KVM switches and systems for the server management market. Known for its innovative technology, Minicom has been pioneering CAT5 technology for more than a decade, now the industry standard. Other KVM solutions introduced by Minicom include distributed switching and AIM, an advanced integrated management solution for out of band KVM and serial control. Founded in 1987, Minicom is a privately owned company headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel. Today, with over 17 years of experience, Minicom operates globally in over 50 countries, with regional offices in the United States, Switzerland and Italy and has over 100 employees worldwide. Minicom is also a significant player in the AV-Digital Signage and CBT markets.


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Safe Harbor Statement
This press release contains statements that are forward-looking statements as defined within the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These include statements regarding market opportunity, product development, engineering and design activities, and product availability and operability. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from the statements made, including the risks associated with general economic conditions, risks attributable to future product demand, sales, and expenses, risks associated with product design efforts and the introduction of new products and technologies, risks associated with reliance on a limited number of component suppliers and single source components, and risk associated with obtaining and protecting intellectual property rights.

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