Epicentric Foundation Server Wins Year's Best 'Portals & Knowledge Management' Product in eWEEK eXcellence Awards

Business Wire, Feb 25, 2002

Business Editors and High Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 25, 2002

eWEEK Judges Name Epicentric "Winner" over IBM and Microsoft,

Validating Epicentric's Innovation and Expertise in

Enterprise Portal Management

Affirming its success as a pioneer in the Enterprise Portal market, Epicentric Inc. today announced that Epicentric Foundation Server(TM) has been selected as the winner of the 2nd Annual eWEEK eXcellence Awards in the category "Business Management: Portals and Knowledge Management." This year's eXcellence Awards, spanning fifteen categories and determined from a field of more than 500 entries, are the benchmark for IT professionals, enabling them to assess products that enhance e-business performance. Portal software product Epicentric Foundation Server 4.0 has been recognized as one of 15 products which exemplify the steady evolution of e-business technologies, demonstrating innovation and the potential to increase productivity, create efficiencies and provide competitive edge.

A panel of experts, including eWEEK Labs analysts and eWEEK Corporate Partners, evaluated Epicentric Foundation Server 4.0 among a host of competitive products, including Plumtree Corporate Portal 4.5, IBM WebSphere Portal 2.0, and Microsoft SharePoint Portal Server 2001, running rigorous tests to determine the best portal software product of 2001. After reviewing its advanced capabilities in centralizing management, distributing administration and leveraging component reusability, eWEEK judges recognized Epicentric Foundation Server 4.0 as the foremost portal software product, one that leads the portal market into its next wave of growth.

"The eWEEK eXcellence Awards direct organizations to the products that will enable enterprise IT professionals to establish and maintain e-business leadership and a competitive edge while making the most effective use of corporate resources," said Jim Rapoza, technical director, eWEEK Labs. "We chose Epicentric Foundation Server as our winner because of its extreme scalability and flexibility, much of which was due to its extensive support for XML and other open standards. In the portal world, this kind of openness is key towards being able to easily integrate with partners and diverse applications."

"We are delighted that eWEEK has recognized Epicentric's technical excellence and thought-leadership with this prestigious award," said Ed Anuff, co-founder and chief strategy officer, Epicentric. "Epicentric is dedicated to delivering the highest quality technology to our current and future customers: we ensure business value and a higher return on investment by providing tried and true products with continuous enhancements in portal functionality and management."

For the complete list of winners, please visit http://www.eweek.com and the March 4 issue of eWEEK for a comprehensive special report on the awards program and the product winners.

About eWEEK

eWEEK is the essential technology information source for builders of enterprise infrastructure. eWEEK enables readers to successfully evaluate, deploy and leverage new technology solutions for competitive advantage. The publication delivers to its readers breaking news, technology evaluations, and strategic analysis on the technologies, platforms, and trends that impact enterprise-wide computing. eWEEK reaches 445,000 enterprise technology buyers who are evaluating and purchasing technology solutions for their company. eWEEK delivers news, analysis and technology reviews in print weekly and on a daily basis on the Web.

About Ziff Davis Media Inc.

Ziff Davis Media Inc. is the leading information authority for buying and using technology. In the U.S., Ziff Davis Media publishes 13 industry-leading business and consumer publications: PC Magazine, eWEEK, Ziff Davis Smart Business, The Net Economy, CIO Insight, Baseline, Yahoo! Internet Life, Electronic Gaming Monthly, Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, Computer Gaming World, GameNow, Pocket Games and XBox Nation. Ziff Davis Media publishes more than 45 titles around the world through licensing agreements in 30 countries. The company is also a developer of innovative web sites including PCMag.com and ExtremeTech.com. It provides custom media solutions through Ziff Davis Custom Media; industry analyses through Ziff Davis Market Experts; and state-of-the-art Internet and technology testing through eTesting Labs. The company also produces conferences, seminars and webcasts.

About Epicentric, Inc.

Epicentric, Inc. is a leading provider of Business Portal solutions for Global 2000 companies to deliver integrated Web services to their customers, partners and employees. Founded in 1998, Epicentric customers include Autodesk, Bank One, General Electric, Hartford Life, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., Lockheed Martin, Motorola, Inc., Scotiabank Group, and the U.S. Postal Service. Epicentric has key alliances with more than 75 companies, including BEA Systems, Documentum, EDS, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Epicentric, Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco with offices in Atlanta, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. International operations include offices in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. For more information visit the company's website at www.epicentric.com.