CRYSTAL DECISIONS DELIVERS IBM WEBSPHERE PORTAL SERVER CUSTOMERS ACCESS TO CRITICAL CORPORATE DATA.

Crystal Decisions, has announced that Crystal Decisions is delivering complete enterprise reporting solutions to work with IBM's WebSphere Portal Server.

IBM customers will now have access to a complete, web-enabled reporting solution, allowing them to access, analyze and share specific structured business information from their enterprise portal. This announcement extends the value of an already positive relationship between the two companies.

"WebSphere Portal Server provides an open, scalable framework for deploying powerful portal solutions, however we rely on the support of Business Partners to deliver the applications and the information from the various sources," said Larry Bowden, vice president, e-Portals solutions, IBM Software Group. "Crystal Decisions will extend the customer value by allowing customers to access, analyze and deliver corporate data throughout the enterprise, increasing their ability to make smarter business decisions."

As a member of the IBM Portal Partner Program, Crystal Decisions will be the first business intelligence vendor to deliver a complete enterprise reporting solution for IBM's strategic portal platform - including support for Lotus K-station, WebSphere Portal Server 1.1.1 and 1.2. IBM customers will have access to Crystal Enterprise Portlets, an interactive window that provides users with content-rich reports within their personalized portal environment. Aggregated business information from critical enterprise applications can now be used within a collaborative web-based environment allowing everyone to make better business decisions faster. Crystal Enterprise Portlets are powered by Crystal Enterprise, a web-based report distribution platform that enables companies to quickly deliver reports, analytics and strategic business information into any enterprise.

"Our research indicates that reporting and analytic componentry is rapidly becoming a requisite feature in an organization's portal strategy," said Doug Laney, vice president, Application Delivery Strategies, META Group. "Open application frameworks that integrate analytic content, rather than standalone business applications and analytical tools, represent a higher-order class of decision-making that we believe leads to improved business performance."

"Through our work with Lotus K-Station, Crystal Decisions has demonstrated its understanding of the needs of portal customers," said Janet Wood, vice president of business development at Crystal Decisions. "Our combined expertise will give customers the flexibility and power to use our solutions in ways that no one else can deliver. Our combined vision makes for a winning relationship, for us and our shared customers."

To download the Crystal Enterprise Portlets, or for more information, visit the web site at http://www.crystaldecisions.com/websphere. For more information on Crystal Decisions technologies and services, phone [phone] (North America) or 1-604-681-3435 (International), or visit the Crystal Decisions website at www.crystaldecisions.com.