Softscape Announces Next Generation Collaboration Tools - e-Meetings 2.0 Web Conferencing & Collaboration Toolkit Delivers Substantial Cost Savings and Seamless Integration with Human Capital Management Processes

Business Wire, Dec 7, 2004

WAYLAND, Mass. -- Softscape, an industry leader in Web-based human capital management (HCM) and case management solutions, today announced the latest version of its e-Meetings web collaboration and conferencing application. Significantly less costly then other web conferencing tools, Softscape's e-Meetings 2.0 extends the power of real-time collaboration directly to users across the distributed enterprise through desktop sharing, virtual classrooms, and instant messaging capabilities. By integrating the tool within HCM processes, Softscape's e-Meetings facilitates even greater team building as collaboration becomes an integral part of performance-based activities, coaching and mentoring, employee development, and workforce knowledge sharing.

According to Gartner in a June 2004 report titled "Collaboration Market to Exceed $1 Billion in New License Revenue," the use of real-time and team-based collaboration will become more mainstream as technology performance improves, capabilities broaden, features become easier to use and users become more familiar with the technologies. In addition, virtual classroom adoption will increase, becoming a leading application for real-time collaboration.(1)

"Collaboration technology represents a new strategic imperative within every enterprise's human capital management strategy," said Dave Watkins, co-founder and CEO, Softscape. "Softscape has taken this requirement a step further by linking workforce collaboration capabilities into the human capital management processes without the need for deploying costly tools from traditional web conferencing-only vendors. Our research suggests that this will save our customers half of their current conferencing budget, if not more."

Softscape's e-Meetings is an enterprise-class web conferencing toolkit that is available at dramatically lower cost than stand-alone conferencing applications. Unlike any other product in the market today, Softscape's e-Meetings can also be deployed as part of the company's fully integrated HCM Suite providing workforce collaboration capabilities to the performance-driven enterprise.

New enhancements in e-Meetings 2.0 include:

--Support for multiple leaders in e-Meetings sessions; meeting participants can see desktop applications of several meeting participants at the same time

--Streamlined connection that allows participants in an instant-message chat session to start sharing applications with just one click

--A unique color management quantization method which results in more accurate representation of color schemes for more consistent presentations

--Integrated document upload and sharing with Softscape's Learning Content Management System to import and export content for reuse of learning assets

--Integrated Instant Messenger client with presence awareness that does not require any firewall changes or ports to be opened other than the same configuration needed to access a Website

--Additional chat audit and history configuration options to determine the extent of audit logs to be maintained

--An advanced data compression algorithm that drives faster screen updates to achieve a near-real-time viewing experience while reducing bandwidth usage

Softscape continues to lead the marketplace by providing a complete package of human capital management solutions that includes leading technologies, management consulting, strategic content, and outsourcing offerings. Softscape's e-Meetings solution is available today.

About Softscape (www.softscape.com)

Softscape provides integrated people management solutions to enterprises and government agencies. With over a million global users in 27 countries, Softscape's award winning web-based technology and proven strategic services, offer customers comprehensive solutions to better manage strategic HR functions and government case management. Softscape continues to advance the market with the broadest and most complete set of fully integrated enterprise software modules with unprecedented flexibility, rapid deployment, and lower total cost of ownership. Embodying a unique approach to people-centric systems that is redefining the standard for operational effectiveness, Softscape solutions are focused on enhancing productivity, facilitating long-term planning, reducing operational costs, and driving organizational performance. Customers include Merrill Lynch, GKN, Corning, Medica, John Deere, Goodwill, and Ceridian. Softscape is based in Massachusetts with offices in Chicago, San Francisco, Connecticut, Washington DC, London, and Hong Kong.

The Softscape logo and marks related to Softscape products are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Softscape, Inc. Other brand & product names contained herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.

(1)"Collaboration Market to Exceed $1 Billion in New License Revenue," Gartner, June 2004, Tom Eid