SDRC Teams With IBM to Drive e-Business Initiative; SDRC Leverages IBM WebSphere Application Server Into Its e-Business Strategy

Business Wire, March 7, 2000

Business Editors & High-Tech Writers

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 7, 2000

SDRC (Nasdaq:SDRC), a global supplier of e-business collaboration solutions for the product lifecycle, today announced at the Daratech Web-Based Product Process Management: CAD/CAM, CAE 2000 Strategy Workshops, an agreement with IBM under which SDRC will deliver e-business solutions to the manufacturing market. As part of this relationship, SDRC is leveraging IBM(R)'s WebSphere(TM) Application Server as a standard platform in its overall e-business product development strategy.

"The tremendous opportunities afforded by the e-business marketplace have led to intense competition and increased customer expectations," said Paraic Sweeney, vice president, Business Transformation, IBM Software Group. "Companies must leverage technology that provides them with a powerful, scalable foundation on which they can build customizable e-business solutions. IBM is pleased that SDRC will utilize the WebSphere application server as a platform on which to build solutions that will drive the e-business economy of tomorrow."

SDRC will provide its customers with capabilities for greater innovation through collaboration, allowing for increased productivity and faster time-to-market. In support of this objective, SDRC provides a single framework for Collaborative Product Commerce (CPC) through products that build on Java 2 Enterprise Edition-compatible platforms like WebSphere. SDRC's Java-based e-business solutions easily and seamlessly leverage information from strategic commercial and legacy systems within the Web-enabled supply chain. These CPC offerings from SDRC can be deployed into the same platform as its customers' existing e-business structure (accounting, human resources, etc.), rather than creating a number of application "silos" created by proprietary e-business approaches. Overall, SDRC helps to ensure that its customers' solutions are aligned with leading trends and standards for e-business technology.

"IBM is a giant in e-business," said Bill Weyand, chairman, president, and CEO, SDRC. "We're very excited about working with the leader in e-business solutions. This relationship ensures that SDRC's vision for Collaborative Product Commerce is aligned with the key trends and standards for e-business - today and into the future. Our customers demand end-to-end solutions, from product conception through product maintenance, and our ongoing work with IBM will help us deliver the right solution for their needs."

Teaming with IBM is one of several initiatives that SDRC will be announcing in the coming weeks to further leverage the creativity of unconnected individuals, systems and organizations across the Web-enabled supply chain.

About IBM WebSphere Application Server

IBM WebSphere's customizable family of products provides the industry's most scalable e-business software foundation and application services, and delivers a flexible and open platform on which to build next-generation e-business applications. Based on WebSphere Application Server, the WebSphere family supports business applications from simple Web publishing through enterprise-scale transaction processing. Through modular, integrated application services, such as Lotus Domino for rich collaboration capabilities and WebSphere Commerce Suite for high-performance, scalable commerce sites, the WebSphere family transforms the way businesses manage customer, partner and employee relationships. Tightly integrated business and Web content development tools and Web site management capabilities deliver the most advanced and productive end-to-end application development, deployment and integration for sophisticated e-business solutions. Information about the complete WebSphere product line is on the Web at http://www.software.ibm.com/websphere.> About SDRC

SDRC (Structural Dynamics Research Corporation) is a global provider of e-business collaboration solutions for the product lifecycle. The Company's products address the areas of e-Design Automation, Product Knowledge Management, and Collaborative Product Commerce. Coupled with process engineering and consulting services, the Company's solutions facilitate innovation through collaboration, enabling industry leaders to optimize product development early in the design process, increase productivity, and significantly improve time-to-market. SDRC employs more than 2,500 people worldwide, with 77 offices in 18 countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia/Pacific.

www.SDRC.com

Note to Editors: SDRC, I-DEAS, and Metaphase are registered trademarks, and Metaphase Enterprise is a trademark of Structural Dynamics Research Corporation. All other trademarks or registered trademarks belong to their respective holders.