SOFTBANK Forums creates Knowledge Interact, unveils new organization and names Privitera Vice President/GM

Business Wire, March 17, 1997

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1997--

IT Support and Training Professionals are the Focus of Newly

Integrated Family of Membership Organizations, Consulting,

Publishing and Educational Businesses

Knowledge Interact (KI), a division of SOFTBANK Forums, uses the occasion of the Support Services Conference & Expo-East to announce its new name and to unveil the management team that will lead efforts to foster its information technology support services and training sectors.

Dennis Privitera, former executive director of Help Desk Institute, has been promoted to vice president and general manager of Knowledge Interact.

KI is the umbrella organization that now includes such well known trade groups and industry events as Help Desk Institute (HDI), the Software Support Professionals Association (SSPA), SOFTBANK Service & Support Consultants (SSSC), the Support Services Conference & Expo (East and West), the Interactive Conference & Expo, The Technology Performance Management Conference & Expo (formerly CT&S), the HDI International Partner Program and the SkillTech Professional Seminar group. The organization also includes a growing number of international affiliate organizations in the support and training sectors.

"This is a very exciting time for our industry," says Privitera. "There is a synergy between support and training in today's knowledge information society, and KI is at the center of this convergence. Along with its industry associations, our new group will provide the education, research, events and interactive forums to help the marketplace better utilize information technology."

One significant initiative planned for 1997 is a new professional certification program created specifically for IT support professionals. KI will take the lead in defining standards for the program much sought after by support organizations worldwide. The program will officially launch in August of this year.

Other changes in the management team were also announced at the Support Services Conference & Expo. HDI's new executive director, Emil Kobylecki, replaces Dennis Privitera. Kobylecki was formerly director of member services for HDI. Also, SOFTBANK Service & Support Consultants has been created and will be directed by SSPA founder and former Executive Director Bill Rose. Rose's successor as SSPA Executive Director is Sally Campbell, formerly vice president of Technical Services at Group 1 Software.

From an organizational standpoint, Privitera sees great value in KI's ability to bring together its group of users. "Through enhanced member education opportunities and our unified series of conferences, we now have an even greater capacity to identify and serve the community of support professionals and solution providers."

KI has also committed to investing in the delivery of services through a variety of nontraditional media, including the Internet and other computer-based channels. "We're going to practice what we preach at Knowledge Interact," comments Privitera. "We will be using state-of-the-art interactive technology as a training and information tool, extending the reach of the virtual communities we helped create." These interactive resources will be a more efficient way of putting the professional in direct contact with peers, product news, career opportunities, training and personal development resources. -0-

Knowledge Interact (KI) Forum, a division of SOFTBANK Forums, fosters the development of the IT Support Services and Training industries through global membership communities, conferences, seminars, interactive trade shows and professional consulting services. KI includes Help Desk Institute, the Software Support Professionals Association, the Support Services Conferences & Expo, the Interactive Conference & Expo, The Technology Performance Management Conference & Expo (formerly CT&S), SkillTech Professional Seminars, SOFTBANK Service & Support Consultants and the HDI International Partner Program.

SOFTBANK Forums is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., and has international offices in London, Munich, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of the $3 billion Japanese company, SOFTBANK Corp., which expects to achieve revenues of $3 billion in its current fiscal year ending March 31.

SOFTBANK Forums, the SOFTBANK Forums logo, Knowledge Interact, Help Desk Institute, the Software Support Professionals Association, and SOFTBANK Service & Support Consultants, Support Services Conference & Expo, The Technology Performance Management Conference & Expo, and SkillTech Professional Seminars are trademarks or registered trademarks owned or used under license by SOFTBANK Forums in the United States or other countries. Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks of their respective owners.

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CONTACT: Michael James & Co.