JBoss Launches JBoss Government Group, Hires Former U.S. Treasury CIO to Lead Effort

Business Wire, June 15, 2005

ATLANTA -- JBoss, Inc., the Professional Open Source company, today announced the formation of the JBoss(R) Government Group. JBoss open source software is already widely used in government agencies, both in the U.S. and abroad, and at the federal, state and local levels. By making a long-term commitment to the government sector, JBoss will make it even easier for public sector organizations to avoid proprietary software lock-in, to achieve interoperability and to save scarce taxpayer dollars through the open source JBoss Enterprise Middleware System (JEMS(TM)).

Drew Ladner has joined JBoss as general manager of the Government Group. Ladner, the former president of advisory firm ZURI Technology, was chief information officer of the U.S. Department of the Treasury until May 2004. Appointed at Treasury to overhaul IT governance, boost IT security and launch key e-government applications, he was named to the "Fed 100" within his first year for innovative reform efforts.

"The JBoss Enterprise Middleware System is the premier example of enterprise-grade open source software that is already powering mission-critical systems," said Ladner. "Professional Open Source is all about liberating customers from proprietary product lock-in and ensuring that their integrator partnerships maximize agility as business needs change. For example, after exhaustive evaluation, the Navy chose JBoss to support mission-critical aircraft carrier tactical flight operations because it's a great platform and won't hold them hostage to legacy product decisions for years--and the zero-cost license means dollars are put toward delivering critical services for our uniformed men and women."

The Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR) team in Lakehurst, N.J., is responsible for the Aviation Data Management and Control System (ADMACS) program required to support Navy aircraft operating from aircraft carriers and other ships. Jim Clemson, ADMACS software team leader at NAVAIR, said: "Standards compliance was a key factor in our decision to work with JBoss. Additionally, the service and technical support provided by key developers convinced us of the quality of their organization and their willingness and ability stand behind their technology."

Government Moves Toward Open Source

Today, about one in 10 of the more than six million downloads of the JBoss Enterprise Middleware System come from government users. In the U.S., JBoss software is in use at many federal agencies, such as the Defense Department, NASA and the State Department, as well as in many states, such as California, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri and New York. To date, JBoss has partnered in the private sector with leading technology providers such as HP, Intel and Unisys. The company will announce additional public sector partners in the coming months.

Marc Fleury, chairman and CEO, JBoss, Inc., said: "Government agencies and programs have long been recognized as pioneers in implementing open source software because it's extremely cost-effective over the entire application lifecycle when compared to proprietary products. In the U.S., many government organizations use the JBoss Enterprise Middleware System to support critical applications, and usage is quickly growing as government IT professionals look to maximize the value of taxpayers' dollars. With experience in both public and private sectors, Drew Ladner understands these organizations' requirements well and will ensure that customers receive the highest quality support from JBoss and our partners."

JEMS products, including the JBoss Application Server, JBoss Portal, Hibernate and Apache Tomcat, can be used together to provide a framework that simplifies enterprise Java development. JBoss and an extensive network of partners stand behind JEMS with expert support services that include production support, training and consulting. The company's Professional Open Source business model and superior technology have combined to make its products among the most popular middleware offerings today. The flagship JBoss Application Server is the most widely used Java-based application server, used in 34 percent of new deployments today.

About JBoss, Inc.

Through its Professional Open Source model, JBoss, Inc. is making open source a safe choice for the enterprise. JBoss provides the resources, technology direction, core development and support services that enable popular open source projects to scale into enterprise-class open source software. These projects include JBoss Application Server, Hibernate, JBoss jBPM, JBoss Portal, JBoss Eclipse IDE and Apache Tomcat, which are core components of the JBoss Enterprise Middleware System (JEMS). Companies like Corporate Express, La Quinta and Nielsen Media Research rely on JEMS for mission-critical enterprise applications. Partners embedding JEMS and reselling JBoss services include Computer Associates, HP, Novell and Unisys. JBoss has headquarters in Atlanta, Ga. and Neuchatel, Switzerland. For additional information, please visit www.jboss.com.