Centra Redefines eLearning with Symposium 4.0.

Business/Technology Editors

LEXINGTON, MASS.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 25, 2000

Next-Generation Solution is First to Integrate Capabilities for

Blended eLearning Delivery, Management and Knowledge Authoring in a

Scalable Enterprise-Class System

Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA), the world's leading provider of software and ASP services for live eLearning and Internet business collaboration, today announced major enhancements to Centra Symposium(TM), the company's award-winning Web-based enterprise software for virtual classrooms, highly interactive team collaboration, and hands-on training. Unveiled at the Online Learning 2000 Conference in Denver, Colorado, Centra Symposium 4.0 redefines the way enterprises approach eLearning infrastructure decisions, offering an open, extensible delivery platform that seamlessly integrates with virtually all of today's leading Learning Management Systems (LMS). In addition, Centra Symposium 4.0 is the first system to provide extensive support for rich content and blended eLearning delivery, including live, self-paced, and asynchronous learning methods critical to effective online learning.

Already used by more than 550,000 professionals in over 300 companies and universities worldwide, Centra's Web-based software and networked services support the full range of live, group-oriented learning and business collaboration on the Web. Every product features Centra's hallmark voice-over-IP capabilities, shared workspace environment, application sharing, and intuitive user interface to enable live conversation and interaction between globally dispersed participants over intranets, extranets and the Internet. Major enhancements in Centra Symposium 4.0 include:

Support for New Media, New Types of eLearning Programs

-- Real-time, multi-point video conferencing allows users to see the session leader or other participants from within the Centra Symposium interface. A unique adaptive video feature adjusts the bandwidth of video delivery to maintain a high-quality learning experience over network connections as low as 28.8 kbps.

-- Configurable full-duplex audio with voice activation enables up to 4 people to speak at the same time, an experience similar to a telephone conference, supporting highly interactive discussion formats.

Together, these new media formats add a more personal and collaborative dimension to live eLearning, enabling effective delivery of soft skills training, 1:1 interviews and examinations, training on the manipulation of physical objects, and more compelling presentations and workshops.

Enterprise-Class Administration Capabilities

-- Advanced user and event management tool for large enterprises

-- New self-service wizards to reduce support costs, including a

system configuration checker and automatic user password reminder

-- Tracking and reporting on playback usage of recorded sessions

-- Configurable SSL encryption for secure system login

-- Custom report generation tools

-- Centra's API Toolkit 2.0 to extend interoperability with Learning Management, Knowledge Management, and eCommerce systems.

These features make Symposium 4.0 the only live eLearning solution capable of efficiently managing the volume of live eLearning activity required to support enterprises with 10,000 users or more.

Centra Knowledge Object Suite(TM)

-- Easy to use tools for business and learning professionals to create compelling multimedia "knowledge objects" in industry standard media formats

-- Edit and index Centra Symposium recordings for publishing to knowledge libraries and learning portals

-- Support for offline playback and distribution of knowledge objects via CD-ROM and streaming media servers such as Microsoft(R)Windows Media Server.

Centra's Knowledge Object Suite is the first such offering from a live eLearning vendor that can record live events or author knowledge objects into an industry standard format capable of being edited by high quality third party authoring tools and served from widely available streaming media systems or Web sites.

Seamless Integration with Microsoft Platforms, Industry Content Standards

-- Users on Microsoft networks are now automatically logged into their Centra Symposium account

-- Users of Microsoft Outlook can now view their Symposium events from their digital dashboard 

-- "Designed for Microsoft BackOffice" certification, support for Microsoft Windows 2000, Microsoft Enterprise 2000, including Exchange 2000 and SQL 2000

-- Support for learning content standards: Microsoft/IMS Learning Resource Interchange (LRN) and AICC 

These enhancements break down the barrier between self-paced and live content, between an enterprise's Microsoft systems platform and their enterprise eLearning system. Only Centra offers this level of user productivity, ease-of-use and ease-of-management in a live eLearning solution.

"Centra has provided us with the best platform for building a comprehensive eLearning program," said Lynne Hermann, Vice President of Training Services at Hyperion. "Centra's continued technological leadership proves that we made the right choice when selecting a partner for our eLearning initiatives. They have consistently delivered the vision, product functionality, and level of strategic consulting that we need to make our live Internet-based training programs a success."

Integration with Leading Learning Management Systems and Platforms

Centra has joined forces with the world's leading Learning Management System (LMS) and platform vendors to provide powerful open, end-to-end learning solutions for the comprehensive delivery and management of online learning. To date, Centra has signed agreements with top Learning Management System providers, including Arista/DigitalThink, Docent, easycando.com, IntraLearn, ISOPIA, KnowledgePlanet, LearnFrame, Pathlore, Saba and WBT Systems. Additional partnership agreements with the LMS vendors Click2Learn, Generation 21 Learning Systems, and Mindlever.com are being announced simultaneously with this release. Each of these companies has committed to providing integration services to enable their respective learning management systems to interoperate seamlessly with Centra Symposium 4.0. This integration includes joint user authentication, interchange of assessment information, and presentation of Centra events and recordings as learning activities within the user interface of the LMS.

Through seamless Microsoft BackOffice integration, Centra Symposium 4.0 leverages an organization's IT investment in this platform, enhancing the capabilities of BackOffice for the delivery and management of live, interactive eLearning. Through this integration, Microsoft Outlook users can receive invitations to Centra Symposium sessions directly from their calendar. Microsoft Exchange can be used as a universal repository for managed content and threaded discussions tied to Symposium for a blended online learning environment. And, system administrators can take advantage of Microsoft SQL Server 7.0 database technology to deliver high-performance and scalable infrastructure for Symposium 4.0 enterprise deployments.

"Centra's breakthrough technology, strategic partnerships, and vast understanding of the eLearning market has allowed us to sustain a leadership position, being first to market with solutions that meet the needs of our growing global customer base," said Chris Reed, Vice President of Corporate Strategy for Centra. "As companies rapidly evolve their enterprise learning strategies to meet new business challenges, they need the flexibility to select the best solutions on the market for self-paced delivery, live delivery and learning management, yet be able to integrate them using open interfaces and industry standards. Centra's solution gives them the openness, flexibility and superior functionality they desire."

About Centra

Centra (NASDAQ:CTRA) is the world's leading provider of Web-based application software and ASP services for live eLearning and Internet business collaboration. Customers include Fortune 1000 companies across all industries, such as American Express, Domino's Pizza, ExxonMobil, Nationwide Insurance, Compaq, Procter & Gamble, and WorldCom. Fully localized versions of the company's award-winning Centra Symposium virtual classroom application are available in French, Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese, German, Greek and Korean. Centra has business and software partnerships with PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte Consulting, Microsoft, Oracle, Saba and Global Knowledge. Headquartered in Boston's technology corridor, Centra has sales offices in North America, Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.centra.com.

Note to Editors: Centra will conduct live demonstrations of Centra Symposium, Centra Conference and Centra eMeeting in booth #1945 at the Online Learning Exposition in Denver. Interviews can be arranged on-site by contacting Laurie Vaccarino at [phone].