PRESS RELEASE

CHAM, Switzerland, March 25 /PRNewswire/ -- The download of security software Avira Antivirus Personal 9 Free for PC WELT, a magazine published by IDG Magazine Media GmbH, was hosted by RapidShare. The software was downloaded 250,000 times from the site http://www.pcwelt.de/specials/antivir within the first two hours. In total, RapidShare provided 80 terabytes of data within one week and processed 10 gigabytes of data traffic per second during peak times.

As a result of the high demand, RapidShare established an additional cluster which enabled access to the file from several servers simultaneously. "We were impressed by the rapid and flexible processing and the straightforward service," comments PC WELT's Panagiotis Kolokythast. "Because the download was advertised at periodic intervals throughout the day, the number of visitors to the site varied heavily but RapidShare was able to satisfy all requests very quickly even at peak times."

RapidShare's infrastructure was specifically geared toward the quick and efficient dissemination of large amounts of data. The system processes up to three million requests simultaneously and with an Internet connection of more than 400 gigabytes through six different carriers RapidShare offers scalability, redundancy and system stability. Thanks to multiple carriers each continent is optimally connected so that users around the globe benefit from high data transfer rates. Because of this the platform is especially well suited for media companies wanting to distribute large files reliably and securely to many users simultaneously. This includes for example software, videos, trailers, updates, patches and demos.

"Our system makes it possible to make files available for downloading within a few minutes and is very flexible and powerful. It offers companies in the media industry the ideal conditions to comfortably and inexpensively distribute films, patches or updates to their clients. An additional advantage is the absence of long term contract obligations," comments Bobby Chang, COO, RapidShare. "We are happy to fulfill the PC WELT's high demands and provide many thousands of users with the new security software."

About Avira

Avira, http://www.avira.de is a worldwide leading supplier of self-developed security solutions for professional and private use. With more than 20 years of experience the company is one of the pioneers in this field.

The security specialist operates several business locations in Germany and maintains partnerships in Europe, Asia and America. At the headquarters in Tettnang on Lake Constance, Avira, as one of the biggest regional entrepreneurs, employs more than 180 people, totaling 250 people around the globe, whose dedication has been proved on numerous occasions. Avira AntiVir Personal, which is used by millions of private users, is a significant contribution to security.

The national and international clients include renowned listed companies as well as educational institutions and contracting authorities. In addition to the protection of the virtual environment, Avira also aims at the protection and security in the real world by supporting the Auerbach Foundation. The company founder's Auerbach Foundation supports charitable and social projects as well as the arts, culture and science.

About PC WELT

IDG Communications Media AG in Munich is a subsidiary of the world's leading media company for information and communications technology, International Data Group (IDG) in Boston. In Germany IDG functions as a service provider for the Information Technology and Communications Sector including media, services, events and the extensive data pool.

Operating as independent companies under the umbrella of the corporation are: IDG Business Media GmbH, IDG Magazine Media GmbH and IDG Entertainment GmbH as well as the market research company IDC Central Europe GmbH and the trade fair organizer IDG World Expo GmbH. The singular portfolio in the German IT media sector includes media brands such as http://www.pcwelt.de, GameStar, GamePro, Digital World, Macwelt and Making Games as well as COMPUTERWOCHE, CIO and ChannelPartner. With its media brands the corporate website as well as the lead generation platform http://www.central-IT.de and the webzine for technology oriented IT experts TecChannel.de IDG is one of the leading service providers on the Internet. The possibilities for combining media brands and their thematically defined communities with conventions and conferences as well as corporate services with regard to individual cross media solutions make IDG one of the most significant communications partners for the highly specialized target groups in the IT sector.

http://www.idg.de

About RapidShare

RapidShare AG hosts information for companies and private persons through the so called 1-Click-Hosting the user uploads his data to the system in a few steps and receives a link over which he can retrieve or delete the information as needed. RapidShare AG was founded in the year 2006 and has its registered office in Cham, Switzerland.