Elsevier Acquires Syngress Publishing -- Bringing Readers Worldwide Premier Computer Security Books

Market Wire, December, 2006

Elsevier announced today its acquisition of the business of Syngress Publishing, Inc. ("Syngress"), making this combination the leading provider of computer security books in the information technology market. Elsevier and Syngress will mark this alliance by continuing to be first-to-market with leading titles on building and deploying essential security tools for network infrastructures and applications development.

Since founding Syngress in 1997, Chris Williams and Amy Pedersen have published books written by numerous IT experts, publishing 40 titles in 2006 and planning to publish over 50 books in 2007.

"Elsevier has successfully marketed Syngress products in the UK and EMEA since 2001," said Chris Williams, CEO and co-founder of Syngress. "When approached about an acquisition, we knew based on that track record that it was a good fit for us and our customers. With Elsevier's worldwide distribution capability and their initiatives in electronic media, we expect continued growth in our IT Professional publishing program," Williams added.

Some of the forthcoming titles from Syngress and Elsevier include "Open Source Fuzzing Tools" by Noam Rathaus of Beyond Security; "Dr. Tom Shinder's Guide to ISA Server 2006 and Microsoft Networking Security" by Dr. Thomas W. Shinder, M.D.; "Google Hacking for Penetration Testers, Second Edition" by bestselling author Johnny Long with PCI Compliance; and "Implementing Effective PCI Data Security Standards" by About.com's Tony Bradley and Anton Chuvakin, Ph.D and Director of Product Marketing, LogLogic.

"Elsevier is no stranger to Syngress," commented Jim Donohue, Managing Director, Elsevier Science and Technology Books. "Elsevier has been the sole distributor for Syngress in the United Kingdom and EMEA region for over five years. We're excited about taking this relationship to new heights, building on the Syngress and Elsevier core values of providing readers with bestselling titles and quality customer service they've come to expect from us," Donohue added.

About Elsevier

Elsevier is a world-leading publisher of scientific, technical and medical information products and services. Working in partnership with the global science and health communities, Elsevier's 7,000 employees in over 70 offices worldwide publish more than 2,000 journals and 1,900 new books per year, in addition to offering a suite of innovative electronic products, such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, bibliographic databases, and online reference works. Elsevier ( http://www.elsevier.com/ ) is a global business headquartered in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and has offices worldwide. Elsevier is part of Reed Elsevier Group plc ( http://www.reedelsevier.com/ ), a world-leading publisher and information provider. Operating in the science and medical, legal, education and business-to-business sectors, Reed Elsevier provides high-quality and flexible information solutions to users, with increasing emphasis on the Internet as a means of delivery. Reed Elsevier's ticker symbols are (AMS: REN) (Euronext Amsterdam), (LSE: REL) (London Stock Exchange), (NYSE: RUK) and (NYSE: ENL) (New York Stock Exchange).

About Syngress

Syngress Publishing ( www.syngress.com ), headquartered in Rockland, Massachusetts, is an independent publisher of print and electronic reference materials for Information Technology professionals seeking skill enhancement and career advancement. Distributed throughout Europe, Asia, and the U.S. and Canada, Syngress titles have been translated into twenty languages. The Company's pioneering customer support program, solutions@syngress.com , extends the value of every Syngress title with regular information updates and customer-driven author forums.

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