BlueRoads Announces Release 5 of Its Channel Management Software Solution; Breakthrough Product Distinguishes BlueRoads in PRM Market.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN MATEO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 19, 2004

Leading Companies Measure Dramatic Increases in Channel Revenue

and Effectiveness

BlueRoads Corporation today announced BlueRoads 5, its closed-loop channel management solution that helps companies market and sell more effectively through their indirect channels. Supported by its base of prominent customers, BlueRoads' intuitive methodology maps processes across the globe and down to the individual salesperson within seconds, thus enabling companies with complex channel networks to actively engage partners in indirect sales and marketing processes. BlueRoads 5 is available immediately.

In 2002, market research firm IDC reported indirect sales revenue in the high technology industry exceeded that of direct sales for the first time in history. Today, research from Gartner Group suggests that figure will reach 65% by 2010. As companies rely more on indirect revenue to achieve corporate financial goals, the demand for channel predictability and management increases. As a result, companies need to manage deeper in to the channel and engage their partners more than ever. This has always been the promise of PRM solutions, but the technology to date has not enabled the broad channel-side participation required to realize that promise. Unlike traditional PRM vendors, BlueRoads' breakthrough Active Participation Network is fundamentally changing channel management.

Based on best practices from the partner perspective, BlueRoads' Active Participation Network enables dynamic process flow between vendors and thousands of independent partner organizations -- and more importantly, their individual reps. Unlike traditional partner relationship management (PRM) systems, BlueRoads 5 allows channel partners' sales teams to actively participate in closed-loop sales and marketing processes while providing vendors with essential feedback at each step.

"In this environment, businesses that actively engage with their partners are generating more revenue," said Axel Schultze, president and CEO of BlueRoads. "BlueRoads 5 is the first partner-centric system focused on business processes and not aggregate data. As a result, BlueRoads generates measurable results for vendors and channel partners alike. Companies with complex channels, like our customers Nortel Networks and Sophos, have already begun to see substantial and recurring increases in channel performance."

BlueRoads 5 Highlights

BlueRoads 5 delivers a suite of closed-loop processes that help companies measure, model and tune vital aspects of channel marketing, sales and operations in real-time. Process modules built on a 20-year understanding of indirect business include dynamic partner profiling, campaign management, lead and opportunity management, guided selling and many more. BlueRoads 5 also delivers a powerful set of channel performance metrics including sales cycle and point-of-sale analysis. New modules in BlueRoads 5 include:

-- Account Registration Manager: Motivates partners to

proactively register accounts by keeping deal details

confidential and ensuring matching registered account leads

are directed to them in the future.

-- MDF & Co-Op Manager: Links co-op and market development funded

(MDF) campaigns with resulting leads, opportunities and closed

deals.

-- Contract Renewal Manager: Initiates renewal process upon

closure of sales opportunity and automatically notifies

partner when renewal date approaches.

"BlueRoads provides us with exactly what we need -- a closed-loop system that gives us a gauge of how partners are moving prospects through the sales cycle," said DeMarie Malnar, director of Americas Channel Marketing at Sophos, Inc. "Partners were asking for a better way to interact with our direct sales force on deals. Rolling out BlueRoads shows that we are listening, and response has been very positive. By enabling us to work more closely with our channel, BlueRoads is helping Sophos increase partner satisfaction, and partner loyalty in our highly competitive market."

Deployment and Availability

BlueRoads 5 is available immediately in two editions and eight languages. BlueRoads 5 Extended Enterprise is architected for complex multi-tier channel structures. Extended Enterprise can be deployed onsite or in a hosted environment, and licensed either on a subscription or perpetual basis. BlueRoads Express, a hosted PRM solution scaled to suit the needs of organizations with less complex channels, is licensed on a subscription basis.

About BlueRoads Corporation

BlueRoads provides channel management software and expertise that enable companies to market and sell more effectively through indirect channels. BlueRoads 5 empowers individual partner sales representatives to actively participate in closed-loop sales and marketing processes, enabling companies to increase Return on Channel Investment. BlueRoads' impressive customer list includes Hitachi Data Systems, Nortel Networks, Sophos, Sun Microsystems, SurfControl and many more. The company is headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. and privately funded by El Dorado Ventures and ArrowPath Venture Capital. For more information about how BlueRoads is helping companies create active channels with higher returns visit our website at http://www.blueroads.com or call 650-349-8500.