SmartForce Forges Global Strategic Alliance with Deloitte Consulting; SmartForce to Provide Infrastructure for Deloitte Consulting-Delivered Custom e-Learning Solutions

Business Wire, Jan 24, 2001

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

REDWOOD CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 24, 2001

SmartForce (Nasdaq:SMTF), the world's largest e-Learning company and Deloitte Consulting, one of the world's leading e-Business consulting firms, have formed a strategic alliance to position SmartForce e-Learning as a component of Deloitte Consulting's comprehensive learning solutions offerings. The agreement gives the two companies the opportunity to target new markets, including opportunities to expand their international reach throughout Latin America, Europe and Asia.

Deloitte Consulting's e-Learning services are designed to transform companies into more agile businesses that swiftly adapt to change and continuously accelerate their performance. The firm's e-Learning services include strategic architecting, system implementation, content development, and project/program management. Deloitte Consulting's e-Learning Practice is involved in or has already completed a number of e-Learning engagements with a broad range of companies, including major oil companies, consumer technology manufacturers, retailers, and automobile manufacturers. With the SmartForce integrated learning solution, rich content, a fully hosted platform and learning management system, Deloitte Consulting clients may implement all of their e-Learning initiatives with one solution.

In their efforts to transition business processes to the Internet, companies have been forced to re-skill employees rapidly for new initiatives. The SmartForce e-Learning infrastructure together with Deloitte Consulting's services gives enterprises an effective way to develop their e-Learning strategies and implementations that are tied specifically to business requirements. Furthermore, e3, SmartForce's object-based application architecture, allows for the seamless integration of 20,000 SmartForce learning events and enables the creation of customized learning objects.

"SmartForce's e-Business Portfolio and blended e-Learning content, supported by its new e3 architecture, complement our e-Transformation solutions, which will enable us to offer clients an easy to implement, integrated business solution," said Leigh Kelleher, Deloitte Consulting Global e-Learning Principal.

"Companies increasingly require e-Learning solutions that can deliver the critical skills and knowledge necessary for implementing e-business initiatives," said Greg Priest, president and CEO of SmartForce. "We are pleased to be working with Deloitte Consulting. The value proposition of a joint Deloitte Consulting / SmartForce solution further validates the importance and the potential of e-Learning."

About SmartForce e-Learning:

SmartForce e-Learning is a comprehensive application infrastructure to support e-Learning initiatives in enterprises globally. Encompassing the largest body of e-Learning content in the world, and a fully integrated student environment, learning management system and a range of custom content creation and publication tools, SmartForce e-Learning provides the architecture that global enterprises are using today to implement e-Learning strategies to support their critical strategic business initiatives.

About SmartForce:

SmartForce, the world's largest e-Learning company, provides integrated enterprise e-Learning solutions. SmartForce e-Learning is available as a fully hosted Internet environment through an Internet rental model. With more than 2,500 major corporate customers, SmartForce e-Learning solutions bring the power of the Internet to the critical training business process. The SmartForce e-Learning environment is also used by leading Internet, software and other companies to provide the infrastructure to support their e-Learning initiatives. SmartForce is quoted on the NASDAQ National Market under the symbol "SMTF." The company, which has more than 1,500 employees worldwide, has corporate headquarters at 900 Chesapeake Drive, Redwood City, Calif., 94063. Phone: 650/817-5900. Fax: 650/817-5061. Web site: www.smartforce.com.

About Deloitte Consulting

Deloitte Consulting is one of the world's leading e-Business consulting firms, providing services in all aspects of enterprise transformation, from strategy and processes to information technology and human resources. The firm's e-Business professionals help our clients, from new economy start-ups to Fortune 1000 global organizations, to create, reinvent and defend their business models by guiding them through the complexities of the evolving digital economy. Deloitte Consulting is part of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu, one of the world's leading professional services firms, providing world-class consulting, assurance and advisory, and tax services through nearly 90,000 people in over 130 countries to nearly one-fifth of the world's largest companies, public institutions and successful fast-growing companies. For more information about Deloitte Consulting, visit www.dc.com.

Note to Editors: Deloitte Consulting and the Deloitte Consulting logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Deloitte Consulting in the United States and/or foreign countries. All product and company names, trademarks or registered trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned for identification purposes only.