Empirix is First Software Vendor to Meet Quality Standards of Siebel Systems' Customer Experience Blueprint; Siebel Systems Endorses Empirix's Automated Testing and Performance Management Offerings in Support of New Framework

Business Wire, Sept 12, 2005

BEDFORD, Mass. -- Empirix, a Strategic Software Partner of Siebel Systems, Inc., today announced that it is the first software vendor whose solutions meet the standards established in Siebel's new Customer Experience Blueprint (CEB). Siebel Systems, a leading provider of customer-facing solutions, endorses Empirix's automated software testing and performance management products and services for ensuring the quality of Siebel Systems contact center and Web applications. The CEB framework, which outlines a clearly defined approach to deploying a customer-driven solution, is designed to help companies determine what they must do and when in order to successfully change the customer-facing aspects of their company and achieve measurable business results.

Empirix's rapid completion of the intensive endorsement process, which involved demonstrating alignment and meeting Customer Experience Blueprint criteria in key areas, underscored the strong commitment Empirix has to meeting the needs of Siebel Systems' customers.

"The Customer Experience Blueprint is an essential guide for Siebel customers, covering the entire lifecycle of developing and implementing customer-facing processes and solutions," said Butch Winters, Vice President and General Manager of Alliances at Siebel Systems. "A key component of the Blueprint is its integration with the ecosystem of Siebel Partners. By achieving certification, Empirix demonstrates its knowledge and acceptance of the important guidelines of the Blueprint and can be relied upon to deliver quality testing and performance management products and services accordingly."

"The Customer Experience Blueprint is an excellent program. It provides an outstanding framework for ensuring that customer-focused IT projects achieve expected results," said Edward Goldfinger, CEO of Empirix. "The Blueprint recognizes the need for planning, thorough testing and management throughout the application lifecycle - best practices that we have long advocated and applied to our own clients. We look forward to continuing our work with Siebel Systems to deliver exceptional results to our joint customers."

Empirix provides automated testing and performance management solutions covering both the Web and voice applications used within contact centers. Empirix's solutions for Siebel Systems application environments, developed jointly with Siebel Systems, allow customers to:

--Validate, analyze, and improve their customer and agent experiences before deployment;

--Understand the effect of new initiatives (VoIP, CTI, Siebel Systems upgrades) on their Siebel-enabled call center deployments;

--Reduce the cost of error detection and correction;

--Establish a baseline for production Service Level Agreements; and

--Proactively monitor and manage applications and infrastructure in production to ensure ongoing quality and performance.

Siebel Systems' Customer Experience Blueprint is a framework that addresses the key domains of a company that impact the customer's experience - strategy, people, process, technology and governance. It outlines six stages, or logical progressions of work, that are based on leading practices derived from Siebel Systems' 11 years of experience working with over 4,000 customers. Each stage describes specific activities that must be completed across each domain before a project can proceed on to the next stage. The Blueprint framework helps organizations confirm they are performing the tasks required to mitigate risk, save money, and ultimately achieve their desired business results. For more information on Customer Experience Blueprint, please visit http://www.siebel.com/blueprint.> Please note that the Blueprint Specialty Endorsed offerings described herein are offerings of Empirix and are not warranted or guaranteed by Siebel Systems.

About Empirix

Empirix delivers a comprehensive range of testing and monitoring solutions that assure the performance of next-generation networks, contact centers and Web-based applications. Empirix provides products, services and support to thousands of customers worldwide, including Global 2000 enterprises, network equipment manufacturers and service providers. Headquartered in Bedford, Mass., Empirix has offices throughout the United States, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.empirix.com.

Siebel is a trademark of Siebel Systems, Inc. and may be registered in certain jurisdictions. Empirix is a trademark of Empirix Inc. in the United States and other countries. All other product and company names mentioned are the property of their respective owners and are mentioned for identification purposes only.