Application Service Provider Industry Consortium Creates Working Committees as Program Efforts Begin.

WAKEFIELD, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 26, 1999--

As it crystallizes its role as the leading voice for the application service provider (ASP) industry, the ASP Industry Consortium announced that it has established four new working committees, which are developing the Consortium's operating plans. The new committees are Education and Outreach, Research, Best Practices, and Membership.

Headquartered in Massachusetts, the Application Service Provider Industry Consortium is an international advocacy group of companies formed to promote the application service provider industry. The Consortium was launched May 11 at the Networld+Interop show in Las Vegas, and membership has since more than tripled.

The new committees, established at a recent two-day Board of Directors meeting, are taking the first steps toward delivering on the consortium's mission to promote greater understanding of the application service provider industry and to articulate the measurable benefits of the evolving ASP delivery model. Committee participation is open to all Consortium members.

"As our growth continues and interest in the ASP industry builds, the ASP Industry Consortium is now moving from launch phase to program development," said Consortium Chairman Traver Gruen-Kennedy of Citrix Systems. "These member-driven committees have set out to do the real work of this consortium, and we expect to see our programs underway this fall."

Consortium Vice President Paula Hunter of Compaq Computer Corporation will oversee the activities of the four committees and their respective subcommittees. "Our committees have begun the hard work necessary to deliver on the promise of the Consortium, to serve as the voice for this emerging industry and to accelerate market adoption of the ASP model," said Hunter.

Each committee has established a charter, short-term goals and deliverables and will elect a chair from among its members within 90 days. In the interim, volunteer advisors from the Board of Directors are helping the committees organize. Face-to-face committee working sessions will take place during the Consortium's first full membership meeting, on August 19 in San Francisco.

The Education and Outreach Committee, with Ric Merrifield of Onyx Software Corporation as its Board of Directors adviser, will develop programs to educate business and consumer markets, as well create a library of information about the industry on the ASP Industry Consortium Web site. Committee members include representatives from AristaSoft, Cylex Systems, Eggrock Partners, IBM, Interliant, JustOn, Onyx, Sasktel, and Sun Microsystems.

The Research Committee, with board adviser Rick Meider of Sharp Laboratories of America, will spearhead ASP industry research efforts. Members include representatives from Packeteer, SCO and Sharp.

The Best Practices Committee, led by board adviser Garth Pudwell of Ernst & Young, will work to define and articulate best practices for delivering applications capabilities via the ASP model. Members include representatives from ChoicePoint, Compaq Computer Corporation, Daleen Technologies, Data Return Corporation, eBaseOne, EMC, First Sense Software, Fujitsu, Imago ASP Services, Interpath, NetStore Group, Nortel Networks, PBM Corporation, SCO, SoftBlox, Unisys, UUNET, and Verio.

The Membership Committee, under board adviser David Yewell of Wyse, will work to ensure consortium member satisfaction, while recruiting new members and determining consortium members' needs. Members of the committee include representatives from Aventail, Cisco, Data General, Epicon, JAWS Technologies, NetStore, Packeteer, Telecomputing, and UUNET.

About the ASP Industry Consortium

Founded in May of 1999, the Application Service Provider Industry Consortium is an international advocacy group of companies formed to promote the application service provider industry by sponsoring research, fostering standards, and articulating the measurable benefits of this evolving delivery model.

The 25 founding members of the ASP Industry Consortium include AT&T (NYSE: T); AristaSoft Corp., Boundless Technologies, Inc. (AMEX: BND); Cisco Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO); Citrix Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CTXS); Compaq Computer Corporation (NYSE: CPQ); CyLex Systems, Inc., Ernst & Young LLP; Exodus Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: EXDS); FutureLink Distribution Corp. (Nasdaq: FLNK); GTE (NYSE: GTE); Great Plains Software (Nasdaq: GPSI); IBM Corp. (NYSE: IBM); Interpath Communications, Inc.; JAWS Technologies Inc. (NASD OTC BB: JAWZ); Marimba, Inc. (Nasdaq: MRBA); Onyx Software Corporation (Nasdaq: ONXS); SaskTel; Sharp Electronics Corp.; Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW); The Taylor Group; TeleComputing, Inc.; UUNET (an MCIWorldCom Company, Nasdaq: WCOM); Verio, Inc. (Nasdaq: VRIO); and Wyse Technology.

Companies interested in furthering awareness and growth of the ASP industry are invited to join the ASP Industry Consortium. There are presently two levels of consortium participation - Executive and Associate membership with varying annual dues and privileges.

Information on the ASP Industry Consortium is available at www.aspindustry.org or by contacting consortium headquarters at: ASP Industry Consortium, Inc., 401 Edgewater Place, Suite 500, Wakefield, Mass. 01880; Tel: [phone]; Fax [phone].