IBM and MRO Software Form Strategic Alliance to Deliver e-Business Solutions for Asset Management

Business Wire, July 24, 2002

Business/Technology Editors

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. & BEDFORD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 24, 2002

Alliance Expands Delivery of E-Business Solutions

and Services to Improve Asset Management

IBM (NYSE: IBM) and MRO Software, (NASDAQ: MROI) today announced a strategic alliance that will enable customers to realize increased returns on existing and planned enterprise asset investments.

The two companies will jointly market and sell e-business solutions that address Enterprise Asset Management (EAM), business needs on a global basis. According to the agreement, IBM and MRO Software will initially target companies in the energy and utilities and public sector markets, followed by other industries.

These solutions will be co-marketed and sold based on IBM platforms and implemented cooperatively with IBM Global Services. Technologies supported in the agreement include IBM's WebSphere(a) Internet infrastructure software, the IBM eServer (pSeries(a) and xSeries(a)) hardware platform, AIX(a) operating system and DB2(a) Data Management software along with MRO Software's industry leading asset management solution, MAXIMO. MRO Software will bundle WebSphere with its MAXIMO asset management software. IBM will provide consulting, customization and integration services for joint IBM and MRO Software opportunities.

A major goal of the IBM-MRO Software alliance is to combine the expertise and technical depth of the two companies to focus on a range of customer enterprise asset management needs. Customers will benefit from improved production reliability, labor efficiency and material optimization.

"This alliance will address the many asset-intensive companies looking for a solution that can improve operation efficiency and reduce costs," said Katherine C. Hegmann, general manager, Business Innovation Services, IBM Global Services. "MRO Software's industry leading enterprise asset management (EAM) applications combined with IBM's consulting and integration services, provide a complete solution for asset-intensive enterprises that want to increase efficiencies, realize improved return on their assets and better serve their customers."

"MRO Software's industry leading enterprise asset management (EAM) applications combined with IBM's consulting and integration services will add tremendous value for our customers and create a powerful leadership solution for the industry," said David Samuel, general manager, IBM Energy and Utilities Industry. "This alliance will address the needs of the companies in the industry looking for solutions that can improve operational efficiency and reduce costs."

"Today's announcement formalizes a long-standing and successful partnership," said Chip Drapeau, president and CEO, MRO Software. "IBM has consistently offered the innovative technologies and services needed to support asset management solutions and is a trusted supplier to the world's industrial markets. These technologies are crucial to our customers' abilities to deploy enterprise-wide asset management offerings. We've delivered many asset management solutions with IBM, and will use this new partnership to widen our market reach and deliver additional asset management offerings to our global customer base."

A long and successful history of working together

MRO Software and IBM have worked together since 1996 to deliver solutions to more than 40 customers in a variety of industries including, manufacturing, oil & gas, energy and utilities, higher education, transportation and public sector. This formalized agreement enhances the relationship, allowing IBM and MRO Software the ability to jointly deliver complete enterprise asset management solutions, including hardware, software and services to customers. The global agreement also allows for proactive co-marketing and selling for future opportunities in these and other markets.

The MRO Software strategic alliance is another example of IBM's commitment with leading independent software vendors through the PartnerWorld(a) for Developers program (www.ibm.com/partnerworld/developer).

Under this initiative, IBM has signed agreements with other companies serving other segments such as financial services, retail, and manufacturing, and solution segments, including enterprise resource planning, supply chain management, customer relationship management and business intelligence. These strategic co-marketing alliances provide developers with access to new customers and revenue opportunities through IBM's marketing, sales, and solutions resources. In return, the software companies commit to lead with IBM's middleware, server platforms, and services.

About IBM

IBM is the world's largest information technology company, with 80 years of leadership in helping businesses innovate. IBM works with companies of all sizes around the world to deploy the full range of IBM technologies. The fastest way to get more information about IBM is through the IBM home page at http://www.ibm.com.

About MRO Software, Inc.

MRO Software is a leading provider of e-Business solutions for strategic asset management. The Company's integrated suite of applications optimizes performance, improves productivity and service levels and enables asset-related sourcing and procurement across the entire spectrum of strategic assets.