"Putting i Before e" Is Focus of Burton Group's Catalyst Conference.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SALT LAKE CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 20, 2001

"Infrastructure before e-business" conference attracts hundreds

of end users, gives vendors a forum for major announcements

Burton Group, a technology pioneer of network infrastructure research and consulting, Wednesday announced that its annual Catalyst Conference will focus on "Putting i Before e," or infrastructure before e-business.

Catalyst USA 2001 will take place July 23-25 at the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina. Due to client demand, Burton Group will also host Catalyst Europe 2001 in Amsterdam later this year.

The only event of its kind, Catalyst brings together end users, vendors and Burton Group analysts and consultants in a sell-out conference focused on the exploration of critical enterprise network technologies and issues. Catalyst draws hundreds of IT professionals with its end user-driven agenda, high-profile speakers and top Burton analysts and consultants.

Participation has grown each year and Burton Group expects Catalyst USA 2001 to attract 1,200 attendees this year, representing a 943 percent increase in attendance since its debut in 1993.

"E-business models cannot fully evolve today without dramatic improvements to network infrastructure, which is exactly what we're talking about at Catalyst USA 2001," said Jamie Lewis, chief executive officer and research director, Burton Group.

"This conference melds what the IT professionals need to do -- simplify internal systems and create an externally facing computing infrastructure that satisfies customers, suppliers and partners -- with what service providers need to do -- deploy scalable services that address the needs of growing populations across many companies and industries.

"Catalyst empowers both IT professionals and service providers to build the infrastructure required for success in our increasingly interdependent, global economy."

Every year the Network Applications Consortium (NAC) plays an important role in the Catalyst Conference. NAC members assist in the development of the conference's theme and topics, and produce a set of pointed questions to guide the vendor speakers during their presentations.

The strategic alliance between the NAC and Burton Group enables conference attendees to extract optimum value from and minimize marketing hype in vendor presentations. Vendors agree to this rigorous process because they know how important it is to present substance, not hype, to Catalyst attendees.

Over 25 vendors are scheduled to speak at Catalyst USA 2001, including 3COM, Alcatel, Cisco, Ericsson, IBM, iPlanet, Novell, Microsoft, Siemens and Tivoli Systems. Vendors also use Catalyst as a forum for major product announcements. Ten case studies -- including Chevron, WorldCom, Cigna and Department of Defense -- will be presented as well.

Vendor presentations are combined with end-user case study presentations, expert analysis sessions, presenters' roundtables and group discussions during the three-day conference. Participants will learn about practical network architectures, best practices for deploying strategic technologies and market trends.

The conference also addresses the role of outsourcing to service providers and the ongoing debate between short-term solutions and long-term integration projects for future application deployment. Vendor-hosted hospitality suites offer attendees an opportunity to further discuss networking issues and learn more about available and upcoming solutions.

At Catalyst USA 2001, participants choose between two simultaneous tracks. The Network Services track focuses on infrastructure technologies for applications, and how distinct technologies are becoming increasingly interrelated.

This track addresses the ways applications, network operating systems, electronic commerce and intranets and extranets need to be horizontally integrated with services including directories, security, collaboration and the platforms that host services.

The Network Infrastructure track focuses on network and telecommunications infrastructure technologies, including the convergence of voice and data to create a network capable of supporting all media.

This track addresses the ways these networks need to connect with employees, customers, partners and suppliers and how IT professionals can plan for infrastructure changes that impact their enterprise. Topics will include wireless networking, quality of service in a converged network, bandwidth management, IP telephony best practices and optical networking.

Burton Group also offers pre-conference tutorials during the two days preceding Catalyst USA 2001. At these in-depth four-hour tutorials, attendees learn more about new technologies and solutions from Burton analysts or consultants. Topics this year include identity and access management, developing a directory architecture, converged networking and wireless networking.

"In the current economic climate, we recognize that travel budgets are tight," said Lewis. "However, if IT decision-makers are empowered to attend just one conference this year, it should be Catalyst. The value is guaranteed."

Note for Editor: Press is cordially invited to attend the conference for free. Please call 512/335-8771 for registration code. Complete information about Catalyst USA 2001 agenda, speakers, tutorials and presentations is located at www.tbg.com/catalyst.

About Burton Group

A technology pioneer and industry leader, Burton Group (www.tbg.com) is the only company to offer integrated research, advisory and consulting services to assist Global 2000 enterprises plan the evolution of their network architecture.

The company's consultants and analysts champion vendor-independent viewpoints as they guide IT professionals in the strategy of building and the tactics of managing scalable, secure, efficient networks.

Burton Group has specialized in network-technology research and analysis since its formation in 1990. The company predicted and defined the role that meta-directory plays in an enterprise. Today, Burton continues to anticipate the direction of key networking technologies and guide the decision-making process for almost half the Fortune 100 and other global clients.