Creative Networks Joins ASP Industry Consortium, International Advocacy Group; Members Include AT&T, Sun, Cisco and IBM

Business Wire, April 19, 2000

Business Editors and Technology Writers

PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2000

Creative Networks, Inc., a Sytel company, has joined the fast-growing Application Service Provider (ASP) Industry Consortium, an international advocacy group dedicated to fostering greater understanding of and guidelines for the emerging application service provider segment of the Information Technology industry.

CNI is a leading consulting and research firm that helps clients create sustainable competitive advantage and business value through the transformation to eBusiness.

Launched last May with 25 member organizations, the Massachusetts-based ASP Industry Consortium now has nearly 400 members, including AT&T, Sun, Cisco and IBM. The consortium will sponsor research, foster best practices and work to educate the marketplace about the benefits of the evolving ASP delivery model.

"The goals of CNI dovetail closely with those of the consortium in that we help enterprise users identify the best applications in terms of cost, performance, technology and suitability to the organization," said Nina Burns CNI founder and Sytel senior VP. "Our membership in the consortium is a natural outgrowth of our customer mission."

About the ASP Industry Consortium

The Application Service Provider Industry Consortium is an international advocacy group of more than 400 companies formed to promote the application service provider industry by sponsoring research, promoting best practices, and articulating the measurable benefits of this evolving delivery model. Its goals include educating the marketplace, developing common definitions for the industry, as well as serving as a forum for discussion and sponsoring research.

The founding members of the ASP Industry Consortium include AT&T; AristaSoft Corp.; Boundless Technologies, Inc.; Cisco Systems, Inc.; Citrix Systems, Inc.; Compaq Computer Corporation; Cylex Systems, Inc.; Ernst & Young LLP; Exodus Communications, Inc.; FutureLink Distribution Corp.; GTE; Great Plains Software; IBM Corp.; Interpath Communications, Inc.; JAWS Technologies Inc.; Marimba, Inc.; Onyx Software Corp.; SaskTel; Sharp Electronics Corp.; Sun Microsystems, Inc.; The Taylor Group; Telecomputing ASA; UUNET; Verio, Inc.; and Wyse Technology.

Information on the ASP Industry Consortium is available at www.aspindustry.org or by contacting consortium headquarters at: ASP Industry Consortium, Inc., 401 Edgewater Place, Suite 500, Wakefield, Mass. 01880; Tel: 781/246-9321, or by sending email to info@aspindustry.org.

About CNI and Sytel

CNI is the consulting arm of Sytel and is a leading consulting and research firm that helps clients create sustainable competitive advantage and business value through the transformation to eBusiness. CNI's strategic consulting services and expert consultants use market-proven methodologies to guide companies in making decisions about investing in eBusiness, developing their business and technology strategies, and creating the most suitable IT infrastructure. CNI services include strategic consulting, technology planning, value analysis, and program management.

Together, Sytel and CNI help companies cross the chasm to e-Business by providing strategic consulting, eBusiness solutions, and enterprise network services. By focusing on infrastructure, they establish the foundation necessary for building a successful eBusiness or Internet-enabled organization, and create a better platform to sustain growth in today's digital economy

Further information can be obtained by contacting Kym Gentry at CNI (Tel: 650/326-9926 ext. 14; Email: kym.gentry@cnilive.com; URL: www.cnilive.com).