Capstan Export Management Selected as Crossroads 2001 A-List Award Winner.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 30, 2001

Internet-Based Product Selected by Independent Research Firm as Among

Best New Enterprise Solutions Addressing

Today's Critical Business Opportunities and Challenges

Capstan Systems Global Export Management service, a web-native software application which helps automate and streamline export compliance and global logistics activities, has been named a Crossroads 2001 A-List Award winner, joining a prestigious group of new technologies proven to be the best new solutions for today's most pressing business priorities.

Crossroads A-List Winners are selected by technology research firm Open Systems Advisors, Inc., which annually conducts an extensive evaluation of thousands of new and emerging technologies in over 80 areas identified as critical for business enterprise computing. Winners are determined following a detailed review and analysis of the vendor's product or service, validated by confidential, in-depth interviews with experienced customers. Capstan's web-native, hosted application took top honors in the Crossroads A-List category for Operations and Fulfillment: Export Management e-Services for International Business.

"The Crossroads A-List Awards validate the promise of new technologies, and the real-world results these solutions deliver every day to customers and partners across their extended business enterprise," noted Ron Alvarez, president and CEO of Capstan Systems. "It's a tremendous honor for our product team and a clear confirmation of the breakthrough results created by the Capstan Network to improve global supply chain execution."

"Capstan has won an early following among global, high-tech manufacturers and service companies facing enormous regulatory and time-to-market risks in meeting the needs of international customers," said Nina G. Lytton, president of Open Systems Advisors, Inc. and editor of the Crossroads A-List Awards. "End-users value Capstan's straightforward user interface. Customer organizations report that, in comparison to legacy systems and existing client/server alternatives, users have found the Capstan system much easier to learn."

Lytton noted that manual labor and paper-based processes are the Achilles' heel of global supply chains. Capstan's web-native application addresses this issue directly, coordinating export information for shippers and logistics providers through an on-line, centralized compliance screening function with continually updated content, accessed via simple web browser through a secure, user-authenticated link to the network. In addition to calculating landed cost and managing shipment orders, companies index their product catalogs against country tariffs, and establish trade control policies and exception-driven workflows. "Capstan's Web-native delivery model saves IT managers the significant capital and labor investment that would be incurred if they owned and operated their own export management software system," Lytton added.

In its research brief issued in conjunction with the award, the Crossroads A-List research staff noted all companies interviewed are using the Capstan application to replace error-prone, resource-intensive manual business processes. "Manufacturers are cutting costs from the fulfillment process," the report noted. "One company has reduced the processing cost per order by more than 10 percent."

Eliminating trade violations is a common objective for Capstan customers. The report noted that one manufacturer is using the Capstan application to screen all of its customers, domestic and international, against US State Department "restricted party" lists, as well as other government agencies that affect the trade of goods. Another high-tech manufacturer has used Capstan to expand its export activities without adding more people to the process.

The report concluded "Capstan is a good fit for mid-sized and large enterprises with an extensive international sales force and increasing volumes of import and export sales." A complete copy of the Crossroads A-List Award Brief is available at www.crossroads-osa.com.

The Crossroads A-List awards will be formally presented at the 2001 Crossroads Conference in Phoenix, AZ March 18-19.

About Capstan Systems

San Francisco-based Capstan Systems delivers a breakthrough business-to-business infrastructure for Global Supply Chain Execution -- the movement of goods across international borders -- optimized for the new demands of an e-business world. A pioneering Internet business services provider, Capstan Systems deploys a web-native network linking all the participants in the global trade transaction lifecycle, creating a valuable "network effect" improving workflow and logistics process efficiency for both corporate subscribers and logistics services providers. Capstan's networked application services include Global Logistics Management, Global Export Management, Global Import Management and Global Landed Cost. In use at major corporations worldwide, Capstan's application services deliver unparalleled visibility, collaboration and control over the global supply chain, enabling companies and B2B marketplaces to get the right goods to the right place, at the right time -- every time.

About Open Systems Advisors

Founded in 1989, Open Systems Advisors, Inc. (OSA) provides a real-world perspective on using new technology in business. OSA's research is based on an ongoing and in-depth dialogue with hundreds of seasoned IT executives and business leaders who are using emerging technologies to achieve business results. OSA reports the Crossroads Decisions, awards the Crossroads A-List and produces the Crossroads Conferences. For additional information on the Crossroads Research program and conference, contact the company at: Open Systems Advisors, Inc., 268 Newbury Street, Boston, MA 02116, 617/859-0859; www.crossroads-osa.com

Note to Editors: (R)Crossroads is a registered trademark, and (TM)Crossroads A-List, (TM)Crossroads Decisions and (TM)Bizno-tech are trademarks of Open Systems Advisors, Inc.; any other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.