Cox Communications Deploys Micromuse's Netcool Suite for Proactive Management of Cable Broadband Infrastructure

Business Wire, Feb 1, 2000

Business Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 1, 2000

NETCOOL(R) Application to Manage Equipment from

Cheetah, Fujitsu, and Nortel

Micromuse Inc. (Nasdaq: MUSE), the leading provider of fault and service-level management software, today announced that Cox Communications, Inc. (NYSE: COX) is deploying the Netcool suite to support end-to-end proactive management of its broadband network infrastructure. Atlanta-based Cox Communications is among the nation's largest broadband communications companies, serving more than 5.5 million customers.

&uot;Cox Communications has one of the highest-capacity and most reliable broadband delivery networks in the world,&uot; said Dick Mueller, Vice President of Operations Engineering for Cox Communications. &uot;As we continue to expand our network , it is imperative for us to have an adaptable network management system capable of monitoring new devices and systems quickly without reprogramming or retooling. The Netcool suite allows us to proactively manage all of our cable and broadband network equipment to ensure optimum service and customer support.&uot;

Cox's network comprises hundreds of thousands of devices and systems, representing a wide variety of equipment, including switches and systems from Fujitsu, Nortel, and Cheetah. The scope and complexity of Cox's broadband infrastructure has created a requirement for automated correlation facilities that can pinpoint the source of the slightest change in service quality, down to minute fluctuations in a remote power supply unit or intermittent instability in a network interface.

The Netcool suite provides the ability to collect and assimilate this type of information from all types of devices. The Netcool software filters and compresses vast amounts of data to deliver meaningful, customer service-centric views in realtime to operators in network operations centers, helping them maintain exceptionally high service levels.

In addition, the award-winning Netcool/Impact(TM) application has been licensed by Cox to provide network technicians with the ability to quickly determine the impact of any network faults and to prioritize problem resolution based on data residing in existing databanks.

&uot;We are extremely pleased that Cox has selected our Netcool software for proactive fault management and service assurance,&uot; said Greg Brown, Chairman and CEO of Micromuse. &uot;CATV operators can realize significant economic returns by proactively managing service availability from end to end. The Netcool application allows them to maintain availability of their cable broadband services, as well as voice and high-speed Internet services they provide using their network. After having been widely adopted by over 500 customers from the financial, telecom and ISP sectors, Cox Communications' selection of the comprehensive Netcool solution clearly underscores Micromuse's growing momentum in the cable industry.&uot;

The Netcool suite supports more than 150 off-the-shelf interfaces that collect management data from a wide variety of systems and protocols. The data is rapidly processed and filtered by the Netcool ObjectServer(TM), an in-memory database. The Netcool application allows operators to build views of services in real time, helping them manage networks more efficiently. Because it is scalable and deploys rapidly, the Netcool business model allows service providers to expand their networks as their markets grow.

About Micromuse

Micromuse Inc. (Nasdaq: MUSE) is the leading provider of fault and service-level management software. Micromuse recently earned the highly acclaimed &uot;Best of Show&uot; award in the network management category at NetWorld Interop '99 Atlanta. Micromuse customers include AirTouch, America Online, AT&, BT, Cable &Wireless, Cellular One, Charles Schwab, Deutsche Telekom, GEIS, GTE, ICG Communications, ITC^DeltaCom, JC Penney, MCI Worldcom, MindSpring Enterprises, and a number of financial investment concerns. Headquarters are located at 139 Townsend Street, San Francisco, Calif. 94107; (415) 538-9090. The Web site is at www.micromuse.com.

Netcool is a registered trademark of Micromuse Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks in this document are the properties of their respective owners. Any statements contained in this press release that do not describe historical facts may constitute forward looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any forward-looking statements contained herein are based on current expectations, but are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties.

The factors that could cause actual future results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements include the following: fluctuations in customer demand, the Company's ability to manage its growth (including the ability to hire sufficient sales and technical personnel), the risks associated with the expansion of the Company's distribution channels, the risk of new product introductions and customer acceptance of new products; the rapid technological change which characterizes the Company's markets, the risks associated with competition, the risks associated with international sales as the Company expands its markets, and the ability of the Company to compete successfully in the future, as well as other risks identified in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission Filings, including but not limited to those appearing under the caption &uot;Risk Factors&uot; in the Company's most recent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and on Form 10-K on file with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on the Company's Web site.