Avanade to Enhance DG Systems' Online Media Distribution Management Application

Business Wire, May 4, 2004

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SEATTLE & IRVING, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 4, 2004

Microsoft .NET Framework-Based Improvements to DG Online(TM) Designed to Boost Customer Satisfaction

Avanade Inc., a premier technology integrator for Microsoft solutions, and DG Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: DGIT), the leading provider of digital media distribution services to the advertising and broadcast industries, today announced that Avanade will develop and deploy new features and enhance overall usability of DG Online(TM), a proprietary, Internet-based application for managing the distribution of television and radio commercials.

Reaching more than 5,000 advertisers and agencies, nearly 2,000 broadcast and cable television destinations, and over 10,000 radio stations, DG Systems has the largest digital distribution network in the advertising and broadcasting industry. The company has engaged Avanade to upgrade the DG Online platform to a Microsoft(R) .NET Framework-based distribution management system that will provide DG customers with unrivaled performance, ease-of-use, and convenience.

"The planned upgrade to DG Online will offer a more user-friendly portal for advertising agencies and broadcasters to streamline the order entry, monitoring, and management of commercial content. For this enhancement, we sought a top professional IT services company with the expertise and skill to develop an innovative solution," said Scott Ginsburg, Chairman and CEO of DG Systems. "As a leading technology integrator and a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture, Avanade met our criteria for this initiative, and its solution will help us deliver on our corporate objective of providing customers with unmatched reliability and satisfaction."

Once implemented, the Avanade enhancements will give DG customers - advertisers, agencies and broadcasters - more options for storage, delivery, and management of broadcast advertising and other content. DG customers will be able to more easily track the status of an advertising spot in the DG network, utilize enhanced workflow automation tools, and access a more streamlined, easier-to-navigate portal designed to simplify and expedite the order-entry process.

Additionally, DG Systems will leverage its investment in the Microsoft platform to improve its back-office systems. By integrating the enhanced DG Online Web portal with systems for invoicing, production, distribution, and other back-end functions, Avanade will enable DG Systems to deliver its services more efficiently and provide a more scalable platform to attract and manage new business.

"Avanade is helping companies such as DG Systems take advantage of the Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft enterprise technology for making workflow more efficient across front- and back-office operations," said Howard Kilman, Avanade vice president and general manager of the United States. "DG Systems will benefit from greater control over systems that cost less to administer and maintain. Avanade's proven development tools including Avanade Connected Architecture for .NET (ACA .NET) allow us to create and deploy reliable, stable, secure, and high-performance solutions for our customers."

The enhanced system to be built by Avanade takes advantage of Microsoft Visual Studio .NET, the .NET Framework, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Media Player to fully automate access to DG services. The Microsoft solution will better leverage the new capabilities and features that have been built into the new "DG Spot Box" and "DG Media Manager" hardware that links stations to the DG digital distribution network.

"For companies seeking to optimize application development, Visual Studio .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework afford a tremendous advantage," said John Montgomery, director in the Developer and Platform Evangelism Division at Microsoft Corp. "DG Systems is a great example of a company that is choosing .NET connected technologies for greater utility and performance from a business-critical application, while Avanade ensures that application development makes the most of the capabilities of the Microsoft technology already in place at DG Systems."

About DG Systems, Inc.

DG Systems and the Company's StarGuide division provide the standard in Digital Media Exchange services for the advertising and broadcast industries, featuring dependable satellite and Internet transmission technology and a suite of digital media asset management tools. DG's extensive digital network is the largest in the advertising and broadcasting industries, reaching more than 5,000 advertisers and agencies, nearly 2,000 broadcast and cable television destinations and over 10,000 radio stations with innovative delivery and management solutions for short- and long-form audio and video content. More information is available at www.dgsystems.com.

About Avanade

Avanade is the premier global technology integrator for Microsoft solutions in the enterprise. Avanade helps customers use Microsoft technology to cut costs and improve results through standardization, consolidation, and integration. Additional information can be found at www.avanade.com.