NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions Announces Innovative Financial Programs for IT Consulting and Professional Services

Business Wire, March 26, 2001

Business Editors

SAN JOSE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 26, 2001

Program Delivers Tailored Financial Packages With Dynamic Flexibility

NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions, a leading IT consulting and solutions provider to mid-size organizations, announced today a dynamic financial program that offers customers bottom-line benefits for all of their IT consulting, solution design and implementation needs.

Available immediately through NEC Leasing Services, a division of NEC Industries Inc., organizations can lease IT professional services as well as software and hardware acquisitions from NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions. This financial program enables organizations to implement IT-based solutions without significant front-end out-of-pocket costs.

"Our financial programs offer mid-size organizations with limited capital the ability to remain on the cutting edge of technology," said Glenn Hunter, director of NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions. "With this service, customers will be able to package our IT consulting and professional services in the lease. That helps align cash outflows more closely with revenue. Leasing also makes it easier to accommodate acquisition costs because payments are spread across the life of the lease," said Hunter.

To make the financial program even more flexible, it includes options such as:

-- Step Payments: Lease payments are lower for the first 12 months, then step
up. This option is attractive for solutions that require long training periods
before they begin producing results and for companies who expect to see
revenues increase over the term of the lease.

-- Deferred Payment: Customers will not have to pay for the solution until it
goes into production. There are no payments for a specific period of time.

-- Seasonal Payments: This option helps customers align payments with revenues.
Customers make lower payments during low revenue periods, higher payments
during peak revenue periods.

-- Enhancements and Upgrades: This option simplifies growth and expansion by
incorporating the professional services and new equipment in an existing lease.

"Customers who take advantage of our financial programs will find the process to be convenient, simple, and time-efficient," said Herschel Salan, Director of NEC Industries Inc. "Our financial solution from NEC Leasing combined with our IT consulting and professional services from NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions provides customers with a single source for their global technology needs," said Salan.

"It is clear that there is a tremendous opportunity to deliver e-business services to the small to mid-size market and that any type of flexible payment plan should be well received by this often cash-strapped market segment," said Ted Kempf, Principal Analyst, Gartner Dataquest. "This holds particularly true when the payment plan is offered by an established tier one IT services vendor as opposed to a young start-up."

With the flexible financial programs offered by NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions and NEC Leasing Services, organizations will be able to put IT solutions to work immediately without a huge capital investment. For more information, visit www.necsystems.com/ibs.> About NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions

NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions is a leading IT consulting and solutions provider offering mid-sized organizations best-of-class, customized, service-based Internet solutions designed to help streamline business processes and improve customers' bottom lines.

Internet Business Solutions is a division of NEC Systems Inc., a U.S.-based affiliate of NEC Corporation. NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions' offerings include: Network Consulting, Professional Services and Systems Integration, Internet and Network Security, Customer Relationship Management (CRM) solutions, Enterprise Information Portal (EIP) solutions, secure business application hosting services, 24x7 help desk service and more.

NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. with additional branch offices in other major U.S. cities as well as Toronto, Canada. For more information on NEC Systems Internet Business Solutions, visit www.necsystems.com/ibs.> About NEC Leasing Services

Since 1986, NEC Leasing Services, division of NEC Industries Inc., has delivered flexible leasing and financial solutions to customers nationwide. As a subsidiary of NEC USA Inc., NEC Industries Inc. has the financial capacity to comfortably fund its portfolio of commercial leases -- from modest communication technologies to complex data centers.

NEC Leasing Services offers the best of both worlds: uncompromising excellence in financial services delivered by professionals that understand technology.

For more information about NEC Leasing services and financing programs, contact 877-NEC-FINANCE or info@neclease.com.