IBM Continues to Deliver on e-Portal Strategy, Unveils WebSphere Portal Server and Agreements with Leading Content Providers

Business Wire, March 21, 2001

Business & Technology Editors

SOMERS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 21, 2001

Portal Software Offers Single Point of Access to Applications, Data

and Web-based Content from PC's and Wireless Devices

Making a significant addition to its e-business infrastructure, IBM (NYSE:IBM) today delivered the WebSphere Portal Server, the next step in its e-portal strategy. The software enables companies to build next generation portals that offer users a personalized, secure, single point of access for content, applications, processes, and people - - anywhere, anytime and from any device, wired or wireless.

The WebSphere Portal Server is a complete horizontal portal and it exploits the scalability and power of WebSphere Application Server, IBM's core technology for web-based applications, IBM Enterprise Information Portal for information access, Lotus software for collaboration and knowledge management and WebSphere Everyplace Suite for pervasive device support.

IBM also is expanding its partner program to take advantage of the rapidly growing market opportunities in portals. IBM's PartnerWorld for Developers will be the entry point for solution developers to participate in portal integration.

The enhanced partner program is being launched initially with four business partners who will offer WebSphere Portal Server and Lotus K-station users access to more than 30,000 content sources ranging from stocks, industry news, world news, weather, sports and much more.

The content providers are:

-- Factiva, a Dow Jones and Reuters Company, provides global news and business
information through Web sites and content integration solutions. Factiva's
integration tools allow users to access Factiva's database of nearly 6,000
multi-language sources such as The Wall Street Journal, Le Monde, The South
China Morning Post and the Dow Jones, Reuters and AP newswires.

-- Hoover's (NASDAQ: HOOV), headquartered in Austin, Texas. Hoover's provides
online business information, tools, and content integration and syndication
technology and aggregates business information on more than 65,000 companies,
including the 17,000 public, private and non-US businesses found in its
proprietary database.

-- iSyndicate is a global provider of Internet syndication infrastructure and
application solutions. Utilizing its Intelligent Syndication Network (ISN)
platform, iSyndicate collects, packages and delivers digital content and other
information from over 1,200 sources, including AccuWeather, Agence
France-Press, the Associated Press, CNBC, CNET, The Financial Times, Red
Herring, RollingStone.com and The South China Morning Post.

-- ScreamingMedia (NASDAQ: SCRM), a global provider of content solutions,
including content products and content processing and integration technology.
ScreamingMedia's core technology platform powers both private and general
syndication networks for media companies, enterprises and wireless networks,
worldwide.

"Portals have become a critical component of the software ecosystem and will have a role in the emerging category of Web services," said Gene Phifer, vice president and research director, Gartner. "Two extremely important portal functions are content aggregation and data/application integration. These are requirements for facilitating interaction and integration with employees, customers, partners, suppliers and distributors."

A Complete Horizontal Portal Framework

WebSphere Portal Server provides an open, scalable framework for enabling the aggregation of applications and information from various content sources, including corporate data and the Internet, into a personalized portal. IBM's portal software offers navigation, customization, personalization, information and application interaction, pervasive device support, syndicated content access, integration for federated search and categorization, and user or group administration.

Enterprises can create portals that enable mobile users to interact with the applications and information they need to do their jobs from virtually anywhere, at any time.

"WebSphere Portal Server is the core of IBM's portal strategy," said Larry Bowden, vice president, e-Portal Solutions, IBM Software Group. "It integrates the front-end, back-end services, application server, and tooling needed by customers to solve the breadth of their B2C, B2B and B2E needs."

Pre-integrated portlets to speed deployment

A portal application, known as a portlet, is a window into specific content or an application source. The WebSphere Portal Server provides customized portlets that support PCs, mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) and other pervasive devices.

IBM is committed to participating in establishing industry standards to support a broad portfolio of portlets working across all components of IBM's portal strategy and the portal community at large. Additional portlets for use by Websphere Portal Server, Lotus K-station, and other portals built on top of WebSphere Portal Server will ship continuously throughout 2001.