Cascade Systems Forms Strategic Alliance with Breakaway Solutions to Offer Digital Asset Management on the Web

Business Wire, Dec 20, 1999

Business/Technology Editors

ACTON, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 20, 1999

Cascade Systems and Breakaway Solutions combine forces to build

powerful e-business solutions.

Cascade Systems Inc., the leading developer of innovative e-merchandising solutions, and Breakaway Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWAY), a leading Full Service Provider (FSP) that offers integrated strategy, e-business, and application hosting solutions for growing enterprises, announced today an agreement that enables Cascade to offer its Merchant Publishing and Media Publishing solutions through Breakaway Solutions' Internet database management and administration services.

The first customer to benefit from this agreement is Metro Creative Graphics of New York. Metro Creative Graphics provides publishers with revenue-generating concepts including ready-to-use spec ads, advertising campaigns, layouts, graphic illustrations, photographs, marketing programs and sales opportunities. The combination of Cascade's MediaSphere media asset management system and Breakaway Solutions' ASP services will enable Metro Creative Graphics to offer their customers online access to Metro's vast database, where they can perform a simple search to locate and download images, spec ads or editorial features.

"Cascade Systems and Breakaway Solutions will allow us to move our services from print and CD to the Internet. This is an excellent opportunity for Metro Creative Graphics to provide an e-commerce solution and enhance the services we can offer our customers," said Rob Zimmerman, president and chief executive officer of Metro Creative Graphics. "Cascade Systems and Breakaway Solutions are truly adding value to our product offering."

"We continue to forge new strategic partnerships and strengthen our position as the leader in e-merchandising and Internet enabled asset management solutions," said Robert Angelo, president and chief executive officer of Cascade Systems. "The combination of Breakaway Solutions' application hosting services and Cascade's e-Merchandising solutions, provides customers like Metro Creative Graphics with a robust digital asset management capability through the convenience of the Internet."

"Metro Creative Graphics will be the first of many customers who will be able to achieve significant benefits with our combined solution," said Dev Ittycheria, vice president and general manager of Breakaway Solutions' ASP business unit. "Together, Cascade and Breakaway Solutions can provide a unique, value-added service to customers in a wide range of vertical markets. The ability to manage digital assets through the Internet has widespread appeal."

Cascade's e-Merchandising and digital asset management solutions enable businesses to capitalize on their brands and target promotions to customers across Web, print and email.

About Cascade Systems Inc.

Cascade Systems Inc. is the leading provider of e-Merchandising solutions. Cascade utilizes advanced merchandising, digital asset management and profiling tools enabling businesses to create targeted advertising campaigns and personalized promotions for Web, print and email. Cascade's customers include CDW , Circuit City, The Wall Street Journal, London Drugs, Associated Newspapers, Val-Pak Coupons, and Channel 4 London.

For more information in the United States call 978/795-7000 or, in the UK call 44 1442 411 200, or visit our Web site at www.cascadenet.com.

About Breakaway Solutions, Inc.

Breakaway Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: BWAY), is a Full Service Provider (FSP) of e-business solutions that allow growing enterprises to capitalize on the power of the Internet to reach and support customers and markets. Breakaway Solutions offers strategy, e-business and application hosting solutions optimized for emerging enterprise clients. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Breakaway Solutions has seven regional offices and four Internet solutions centers in the U.S., along with 10 application hosting facilities in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Breakaway Solutions can be reached at 617-960-3400 or at http://www.breakaway.com.

Except for the historical information contained in this announcement, the matters discussed in this announcement are "forward-looking statements" (as that term is used in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that involve risks and uncertainties, including risks of business change, product acceptance and customer demand, and growth management detailed from time-to-time in Breakaway Solutions, Inc.'s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Breakaway Solutions, Inc. draws the reader's attention to the factors described in its Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q/A for the Period Ended September 30, 1999 under the heading "Factors That May Affect Future Results." Any such forward-looking statements speak only as of the date such statements are made, and the company undertakes no obligation to publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements or otherwise update or supplement this announcement or the risk factors contained herein.