Akibia, Inc. Launches New Service to 'Springboard' Implementation of eCRM Solutions.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 4, 2000

Consulting Service Educates Companies on eCRM Benefits;

Akamai Technologies First to Complete Springboard Program

Akibia, Inc., the leading total solutions provider for internet-enabled customer relationship management (eCRM) applications and infrastructure, today announced the addition of its Springboard program. As a Siebel Premier Consulting Partner, Akibia's new consulting service quickly enables companies to conceptualize exactly how their organization can benefit from the customer-focused Siebel eBusiness Applications. Industry innovators, including Akamai Technologies (NASDAQ: AKAM) and NewsEdge Corporation (NASDAQ: NEWZ), are among the first companies to benefit from the five-day Springboard engagement.

Since the most successful eCRM solutions are delivered rapidly and are uniquely tailored to a company's business model, the objective of Springboard is to educate inquiring companies on the eCRM benefits specific to their organization. This process significantly reduces the time required for prototyping and implementing an end-to-end eCRM solution. Springboard consultants work collaboratively with a company's IT professionals and business executives to develop a custom prototype within five days.

Delivered at no cost to qualified companies, the Springboard consulting service scopes and specifies a specific CRM eBusiness module (e.g., Sales, Service or Call Center) and configures it to the specific needs of individual companies. A typical Springboard engagement may include scope definition, business case identification, customized prototype development, and delivering the implementation plan. At the end of the Springboard program, companies have a business prototype, an implementation plan and an analysis of future business benefits specific to their company. These deliverables enable clients to understand how an eCRM solution will affect their future development and success.

"With the multitude of information and solutions available today, the task of understanding the implications of an eCRM solution can be a daunting, time intensive process. Springboard eliminates confusion and frustration by streamlining the overall process of creating a vision of what eCRM will mean to your company," said Adam Honig, president of Akibia's application consulting business. "With Springboard, Akibia provides the necessary direction and focus that companies need to build reliable and successful eCRM solutions."

Springboard complements Akibia's streamlined implementation approach and flexHosting(SM) offering to ensure that clients receive the right application, at the right time, with the right support. Akibia's unique implementation approach, which immediately addresses a company's imperative eCRM needs, has been used to deliver Siebel Systems' customer-focused eBusiness solutions to more than 20 customers in an average time of six weeks per customer. Akibia's flexHosting services allow customers to choose the level of support they need in any given area. These areas include application hosting, operating system and hardware support, remote and on-site end-user support, systems and application administration and training.

The Springboard program fosters internal consensus and provides companies with a realistic eCRM model developed from their own data and specifications. This enables project leaders to facilitate the entire eCRM decision process, from concept through purchase approval.

About Akibia

Akibia is the leading provider of total eCRM solutions for high-growth corporations worldwide. The company designs, implements and hosts eCRM applications and infrastructure that enhance business relationships and deliver competitive advantage. Akibia was formed in 2000, from the merger of Polaris Service and Polaris Solutions, and is headquartered in Westborough, Massachusetts with US offices in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fremont (CA), and New York, and international offices in London, Amsterdam and Arnhem. The company employs more than 425 multi-talented people worldwide. As a Siebel Premier Consulting Partner, Akibia, Inc. works closely with Siebel Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SEBL) to implement its suite of eBusiness applications. The company has consistently achieved Siebel Systems' three star rating for customer satisfaction. Customers include Akamai Technologies, Inc., West Deutsche Landesbank, Citibank, Monster.com, Cisco and Parametric Technologies. For more information call 508-460-1800, or visit the Akibia web site at www.akibia.com.