Playboy.com Selects Micromuse's Netcool/Internet Service Monitors

Business Wire, June 29, 2000

Bsuiness/Technology Editors

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 29, 2000

NETCOOL(R) Software Suite to Provide Realtime Fault Monitoring of

Internet Infrastructure and Maintain Availability of

eBusiness-Oriented Web Pages and Services

Micromuse Inc. (Nasdaq: MUSE), the leading provider of fault and service-level management software, today announced that Playboy.com, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:PLA), has selected the Netcool suite to provide realtime fault management and service assurance of its Web site and revenue-generating offerings including, advertising, eBusiness, membership subscriptions, and pay-per-view service.

"Playboy.com is one of the most highly trafficked eBusiness sites in the U.S.," said Kevin Mayer, Playboy.com's President & CEO. "Maintaining continuous availability of our Web services is critical to our success and providing customer satisfaction to our loyal subscribers. With Netcool service as our proactive management foundation, Playboy.com will be able to provide improved realtime monitoring functionality of its network operations and better maintain service assurance to help protect our Web-based offerings."

Netcool/OMNIbus(TM), Micromuse's flagship application, was selected as the core solution for monitoring faults in the Playboy.com network infrastructure. Micromuse's Netcool(R)/Internet Service Monitors suite (Netcool/ISMs(TM)) will constantly measure response times and availability of Internet and Web services and applications, such as HTTP pages, cyber-auctions, credit card transactions, e-mail services, and live Webcasts. Combined, the Netcool applications will allow network operators to address infrastructure problems such as traffic or server overloads before they cause disruption in services.

"As an online entertainment pioneer, Playboy.com has learned the value of providing high availability products on the Internet," said Greg Brown, Micromuse's Chairman & CEO. "Netcool/OMNIbus will help them gain a clear competitive advantage by rapidly deploying a network monitoring solution that supports the successful delivery of revenue-generating Web applications, making sure that they are always accessible and running at peak efficiency."

In 1994, Playboy became the first national magazine on the World Wide Web, when it created Playboy.com. The site quickly became one of the most popular destinations on the Web, and attracts visitors from approximately 150 countries and territories. Updated daily, Playboy.com offers men unique, Playboy-branded lifestyle and entertainment content including news, Playmate and celebrity interviews, pictorials, live Web casts and chats, Playboy Auctions (http://auctions.playboy.com), Playboystore.com, and a members-only VIP club, the Playboy Cyber Club (http://cyber.playboy.com). Playboy.com's network of sites garners nearly 118 million page views a month (Source: ABC Audit Statement, period ending 4/30/00).

About the Netcool Suite

Micromuse's Netcool software suite collects management data from more than 200 management environments and network devices, including voice, data and Internet. Fault data is rapidly processed and filtered by the Netcool ObjectServer(TM), an in-memory database. The Netcool application allows operators to build views of service availability in realtime, 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 Playboy.com

Playboy.com is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Playboy Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE: PLA), an international multimedia entertainment company. Playboy.com operates Playboy-branded Web sites targeting the entertainment and lifestyle interests of young men, including: Playboy.com (http://www.playboy.com), an advertising and e-commerce-supported Web site that offers a range of entertainment, information and e-commerce; Playboy Cyber Club (http://cyber.playboy.com), a subscription site featuring premium Playboy content and exclusive online events; the Playboy Store (http://www.playboystore.com), which sells Playboy-branded products; and Playboy Auctions (http://auctions.playboy.com), which auctions Playboy-branded merchandise and admission to Playboy events, and allows fans to auction their own Playboy memorabilia and collectibles. Playboy.com also operates Cyberspice.com (http://www.cyberspice.com), a site featuring premium adult entertainment under the Spice brand, and Rouze.com (http://www.rouze.com), a vertical lifestyle destination blending content, community and commerce.

About Micromuse

Micromuse Inc. (Nasdaq: MUSE) is the leading provider of fault and service-level management software. Micromuse was named one of the Top 25 Best Performers in the Wall Street Journal's Shareholder Scoreboard, and has recently been recognized in the Forbes 500, Bloomberg's Top 100 Stocks, Barron's 500, and the San Francisco Chronicle 500. Micromuse customers include AirTouch, AT&T, BT, Cable & Wireless, Cellular One, Charles Schwab, Deutsche Telekom, Digex, EarthLink, GTE, ICG Communications, ITC^DeltaCom, MCI Worldcom, NextLink, 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.