Andersen Consulting and Docent Join Forces to Meet Learning Needs of eEconomy Workforce.

Business Editors

PALO ALTO, CA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2000

Alliance to Pioneer Business to Employee (B2E) eLearning

Andersen Consulting, a leading global management and technology consulting firm, and Docent, Inc., a provider of eLearning solutions, today announced a strategic alliance to offer new learning programs specifically designed to meet the accelerated needs and capabilities of employees in the digital economy.

Together, Andersen Consulting and Docent will develop, market and integrate a variety of employee learning solutions, designed with the reach and scale to serve large, global organizations as well as rapidly growing dot-com companies. This initiative represents a use of Internet technology beyond the increasingly common business-to-business (B2B) applications - moving into what Andersen Consulting calls business-to-employee, or "B2E," solutions.

In addition, AC Ventures, the venture capital unit of Andersen Consulting, has taken a minority stake in Docent. "The eLearning market is the next frontier in eCommerce, and industry leaders have already begun tapping into this channel as a competitive advantage," said John Kunzweiler, an AC Ventures partner.

While the need for eLearning has expanded rapidly, companies have struggled to find the right combination of content and delivery. The Andersen Consulting and Docent alliance offers clients a holistic approach to learning, combining Docent's focus on the infrastructure of Internet and company-based Intranet delivery with the skills, knowledge capital and experience that Andersen Consulting brings to designing, developing and deploying learning and knowledge management solutions needed in today's complex business environment. Through this alliance, clients will have access to a full suite of electronically delivered services such as remote learning, collaborative tools, video and Web casting, Performance Simulation(TM) and performance management as well as "an instant learning infrastructure" created for dot-com organizations.

"In a global marketplace where change is happening at an unprecedented rate, we have to develop and deliver solutions that help our clients create new capabilities at Internet speed so they can adapt to constantly changing situations" said Bob Lauer, a partner in Andersen Consulting's eHuman Performance Practice. "With this alliance, we are uniting award- winning eLearning tools, techniques and content with the experience of the firm's 5,000 human performance professionals to meet our clients' needs - regardless of location or the size of workforce challenges."

"One of the greatest challenges facing corporations today is the need to quickly deploy a competent and confident workforce," said Dave Ellett, chairman, president and CEO of Docent, Inc. "That requires knowledge, speed and flexibility in the way businesses deliver learning to their employees. This alliance is intended to shape the way learning is delivered to the workforce of the eEconomy."

Businesses no longer have the luxury of sending their employees to lengthy, expensive classroom sessions. They want to bring employees up to speed quickly, but with ongoing access to updated training as it is needed. "Through eLearning, employees will have instant access at the point of need to relevant content and information, utilizing Internet technology and advanced learning techniques," Lauer added.

About Andersen Consulting

AC Ventures, the venture capital unit of Andersen Consulting, works with entrepreneurs to build companies that transform industries and generate superior economic returns. The unit provides a unique venture capital option that can help start-ups accelerate growth and market penetration. Based in Palo Alto, California, AC Ventures expects to invest up to $1 billion globally over the next five years.

Andersen Consulting is an $8.9 billion global management and technology consulting organization whose mission is to help its clients create their future. The firm works with clients from a wide range of industries to bring about far-reaching change by aligning their people, processes and technology with their strategy. Andersen Consulting has more than 65,000 people in 48 countries. Its home page address is http://www.ac.com.

About Docent, Inc.

Docent, Inc. provides products and services that enable the exchange of knowledge among large enterprises, educational content providers and professional communities.

Docent(TM) Enterprise, an Internet-based knowledge exchange platform, goes beyond the delivery of learning content online, commonly known as eLearning, to bring together its organizations into a virtual marketplace with an array of value-added services. It was recently recognized by PC Week Magazine for "(standing) out among a field of seven learning management systems"(1) and it was named "1999 Product of the Year" by Call Center Solutions Magazine.

Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Docent, Inc. has over 90 customers in such market-leading companies as Lucent Technologies, Hewlett-Packard, Ariba Inc., Pitney Bowes, Impiric (formerly WCJ), Merrill Lynch and others. Docent helps to build the right connections between Global 2000 Enterprises, professional communities and a growing list of partners including Miller Heiman, Inc., Centra, Siebel Systems, Inc., and C3i. For further information about Docent, visit www.docent.com http://www.docent.com or call [phone].

(1) COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Reprinted with permission from PC Week November 15,1999. Copyright(c)1999, ZD, Inc.