Avnet Unifies Enterprise-Wide Business Systems with Bluestone Sapphire/Web and XML Suite; Global Computer and Electronics Distributor Launches Bluestone-Based Mission-Critical Information Access Solution to Unite Business Applications; Provides Employees, Partners, and Customers with Real-Time Information Access.

Business Editors/Hi-Tech Writers

PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 7, 2000

Bluestone(R) Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:BLSW), a leading provider of Enterprise Interaction Management software, announced that Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), one of the world's largest distributors of semiconductors, interconnect, passive and electromechanical components and computer products, has signed a global site license for Bluestone's award-winning Sapphire/Web(R) Application Server infrastructure and Bluestone XML Suite(TM) Integration Server framework.

With the recently-launched first stage of its Bluestone-powered information access solution, Avnet is providing its partners and customers with browser-based access to real-time information. Later, the Bluestone solution will standardize, unify, and expedite access to all of Avnet's backend enterprise data repositories for the company's worldwide audience of partners, customers, and employees running Web-based and client/server applications, while providing a path to XML-based, business-to-business commerce.

&uot;Our industry is notorious for its thin margins and tight turnaround times, and we've established our leadership position by delivering superior value to our customers, while working within those industry constraints,&uot; said Steven Bandrowczak, CIO for Avnet. &uot;We believe the key to maintaining our competitive edge will be providing immediate access to real-time enterprise information for customers, partners, and employees -- instantaneous information access on a global basis -- because the faster we can supply information to our users, the faster they can act on it.&uot;

Added John H. Capobianco, senior vice president of worldwide marketing for Bluestone, &uot;Avnet is on the forefront of an IT industry trend toward standardizing applications access. Using the information access capabilities of Sapphire/Web and XML Suite, Avnet can furnish real-time data from a single point of access for a heterogeneous environment that includes numerous front-end and backend Avnet systems, as well as systems of its worldwide base of customers and partners. Bluestone solutions have been designed expressly for this type of non-stop, heterogeneous, high-volume environment.&uot;

Delivering Real-Time Access, Single Development API with Bluestone

Today, Avnet's Bluestone-driven, real-time information access solution relies on Sapphire/Web and Sapphire Integration Modules (SIMs) to tightly integrate the company's homegrown and third-party client/server and Web-based applications with its data systems.

With its Bluestone solution, Avnet can give employees, customers, and partners immediate access to real-time order status, ship status, inventory status, ordering systems, supply chain information, and other information, regardless of where it sits and how it is accessed (via client/server or Web-based applications). By giving users direct access to all corporate data, the Bluestone solution also improves Avnet's data accuracy by eliminating the batch update's data extraction, duplication, and transfer processes, which can introduce data errors as it moves from one system to the next. Noted Avnet's Bandrowczak, &uot;The data was available before, but it was static. With Bluestone, we have a dynamic, real-time view of our business.&uot;

&uot;Our vision is to give real-time account information to our global customers and partners 24 x 7, 365 days a year. With Bluestone as a strategic solutions provider, we're positioned to realize that vision and enhance the value that we can bring to our customers,&uot; concluded Bandrowczak.

About Avnet

Phoenix-based Avnet Inc, a Fortune 500 company with annual sales exceeding $6.4 billion, ($8.3 billion proforma, including acquisitions) is one of the world's largest distributors of semiconductors, interconnect, passive and electromechanical components and computer products from the leading manufacturers.

Serving customers in 60 countries, Avnet markets, inventories and adds value to these products and provides world-class supply-chain management and engineering design services. Asian locations include Hong Kong/China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, India, and Pakistan.

About Bluestone Software

Bluestone(R) Software Inc. is a leading provider of Enterprise Interaction Management software. Companies deploying e-business applications, like Avnet, CDNow, Food.com, MCI WorldCom, Reliance National, Strategic Weather Services, and Time Inc. rely on Bluestone Total-e-Business(TM), Bluestone Sapphire/Web(R), and Bluestone XML Suite(TM) to provide the comprehensive e-business platforms, Internet-class infrastructures, and robust integration services that e-business success demands. Bluestone is headquartered at 300 Stevens Drive, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19113-1597. For more information, please call 888-Bluestone or [phone], e-mail [e-mail], or visit http://www.bluestone.com.

Bluestone and Sapphire/Web are registered trademarks, and Bluestone XML Suite, and Total-e-Business are trademarks of Bluestone Software, Inc. All other names, brands or products may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward looking statements as such term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those contained in Bluestone's publicly reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which may cause Bluestone's actual results, performance, or achievements or those of its customers or its industry to be materially different from the future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward looking statements. Specifically, the Company's beliefs with respect to the business opportunities presented by e-business and the Company's ability to profitably market and deploy its product solutions may prove to be inaccurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in these forward looking statements, the information in this press release should not be considered a representation by the Company or any other person that Bluestone's objectives and plans will be achieved.