Mitsui, Japan's Largest Trading Company, and Sphera, the Leader in Hosting Automation Software, Form Strategic Alliance

Business Wire, July 16, 2001

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 16, 2001

Mitsui Gains Exclusive Rights to Distribute Sphera's

HostingDirector Software in Japan

Mitsui & Co., LTD, the largest trading company in Japan, and Sphera Corporation, the leading provider of hosting automation software, today announced that they have entered into a strategic partnership agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Mitsui is now the exclusive distributor in Japan of Sphera's popular Web hosting automation software, HostingDirector(TM).

Following successful pilots with leading companies in Japan, the partnership is a pivotal strategic move for Sphera, solidifying its position as the market leader. Mitsui's channel reach, excellent support and market presence will provide Japanese customers with the best service and an up-to-date Japanese version of the popular Sphera software. Mitsui chose Sphera after recognizing Japan's growing need to automate and scale its Web hosting industry and then identifying HostingDirector as the best solution for hosting automation. Sphera's scalable technology allows Web hosting providers to efficiently utilize their resources, simplify their operations and reduce overall operational costs. HostingDirector's ease of use and open architecture are ideally suited for widespread adoption in Japanese data centers.

"Mitsui is delighted to distribute Sphera HostingDirector throughout Japan. We recognize that the market has a critical need for automated hosting software and with HostingDirector, we are offering our customers the most comprehensive package on the market, at a reasonable cost," said Toshiyuki Yamazoe, general manager, CRM Department, IT Solution Division of Mitsui & Co., LTD. "HostingDirector will give our customers the ability to improve their profitability by both enhancing their revenues and decreasing their overhead. We look forward to promoting these significant benefits throughout our wide customer base."

Mitsui has identified the information industry as an area in which it wants to focus its future efforts. Mitsui's agreement with Sphera, along with its ownership stakes in Japan's largest Internet Data Center as well as DoCoMo AOL, Inc., underscores this commitment.

Sphera HostingDirector has an open, extensible and scalable management platform for hosting providers, ISPs, MSPs and ASPs to dramatically improve their revenue opportunities.

HostingDirector's distinctive capabilities allow over 50 popular e-commerce, CRM, database and marketing applications to be deployed in just minutes. HostingDirector's AppFinity application programming interface (API) provides seamless interoperability with any back-end office application.

The software presents a broad range of functionality including:

--Extensibility to allow for rapid deployment of new applications and services

--Integration with back office applications such as CRM and billing

--Automation of time consuming tasks such as security, monitoring, reporting and DNS management

--Secure, reliable and scalable hosting of multiple sites and applications

--Open architecture to allow operators to retain complete control over their operating systems and ensure that they can respond to changing needs in the future

"Following the excellent results that we are seeing in the U.S. and Europe, we view our partnership with Mitsui as key to expanding our business in the crucial Japanese market," said Tamar Naor, CEO of Sphera Corporation. "The combination of Sphera's industry-leading technology and Mitsui's unmatched market reach makes this a truly exciting opportunity."

About Sphera

Founded in 1998, Sphera is pioneering a new approach for IDCs, ISPs and Web hosting providers to deliver value-added applications and Web services. Experienced in the day-to-day challenges facing hosting providers, Sphera has developed an extensible Web hosting platform that delivers on the promise of end-to-end service automation. The company's flagship product, Sphera HostingDirector, automates the Web hosting industry by offering a comprehensive management infrastructure that enables reliable hosting, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sphera technology puts the power of time, resources and control back into the hands of the hosting provider, resulting in new sources of revenue growth and greater profitability to the corporate bottom line. Sphera is headquartered in Boston, with additional offices in New York, Washington, D.C., Frankfurt and London, and R&D facilities in Israel. For more information about Sphera and its products, call us at 781/685-4962 or visit our Web site at http://www.sphera.com.

About Mitsui

Mitsui & Co., LTD. is Japan's largest sogo shosha, or general trading company. The Company has two principal roles: to facilitate its clients' international trade-related activities and--making use of its substantial information, human, financial, and other resources--to create new trade flows, new enterprises, and new industries around the world. Mitsui & Co., Ltd., is an international "business creator" offering value-added services to clients worldwide. Our 17 Operating Groups oversee a broad range of products, and have the knowledge and experience to best serve the ever-changing needs of the global marketplace. For more information about Mitsui & Co., LTD, visit our Web site at http://www.mitsui.co.jp.