Cognet Corp. and SPG Form Strategic Alliance.

VALHALLA, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 22, 1999--

SPG to Provide Deployment Services for

Cognet's Intelligent Software Distribution Technology

Cognet Corp., a leading provider of intelligent software distribution systems, and Systems Progress Group, Inc. (SPG), which specializes in enterprise technology deployment, have announced the formation of a strategic alliance in which the two companies will jointly support and market each other's core capabilities.

SPG will become Cognet's premier deployment services partner. Under the terms of the agreement, Cognet will recommend SPG for its customers seeking implementation support. SPG will build its own Cognet lab to create and test Cognet implementation solutions before they are introduced into customers' production environments. In addition, SPG will utilize Cognet products as a deployment technology for its clients.

"As deployment specialists, we've worked with all of the management and software distribution tools on the market," said SPG president, and CEO, Al Wasserberger. "Cognet offers an exceptional solution for many organizations."

"Enterprise technology deployment is all we do," adds Ira Lessack, SPG's senior vice president of business development. " We can help Cognet customers achieve the results they want faster and more predictably than if they attempt deployment themselves."

According to Don Zinn, president, Cognet, SPG's decision to add Cognet to its primary tool set validates Cognet's design advantages around the primary enterprise system deployment processes of packaging, staging, distribution and reporting.

"The combination of SPG and Cognet is ideal for organizations that need to ensure proper, rapid implementation of our technology into large or complex infrastructures," he said. "Proper implementation is a key to users receiving the fullest value from any technology. SPG utilizes a unique methodology that ensures proper, quick installation of our products- everytime."

By automating the software distribution and PC configuration process, Cognet(TM) 3.0 allows large and small companies to streamline software distribution to desktop computers across their organizations, which can reduce costs by up to 90 percent. With its exclusive, patent-pending "delta" technology, Cognet records the final configuration of the installed software with its highly refined profiler. Fresh O/S technology delivers a clean baseline, with an accurate result every time.

The system's three-tier client/server architecture provides robust performance for the largest installations and scalability to achieve a true enterprise solution.

Cognet and SPG will provide key development and product support personnel to ensure client satisfaction. The two companies will also participate in joint sales and marketing activities.

Chicago-based SPG specializes in enterprise technology deployment. The company delivers deployment services in conjunction with a range of technology providers. Focusing on Fortune 1000 IT organizations and distributed business environments, SPG employs a unique best-practices deployment methodology, SSDIM(TM) (Structured Systems Design & Implementation Methodology(TM)). The effectiveness of SSDIM was demonstrated during SPG's execution of the industry's first large-scale Microsoft Windows 98(R) implementation, in which SPG rolled out Microsoft Windows 98 to over 2,000 networked and remote desktops at 50 locations in 14 days with a success rate of 100 percent. Additional information on SPG services may be found at http://www.spg.com or by calling 312-895-3800.

For more information about Cognet 3.0, visit www.cognet.com or call [phone].

Cognet Corp. develops and markets software solutions that streamline software distribution to the desktop, increasing the reliability of the resulting PC configurations while reducing costs by as much as 90 percent. Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Valhalla, N.Y., Cognet's major clients include multiple agencies of the City of New York; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; T. Rowe Price; and Donaldson Lufkin and Jenrette.

Cognet is a trademark of Cognet Corp. Structured Systems Design and Implementation Methodology and SSDIM are trademarks of Systems Progress Group, Inc. All other product names are the properties of their respective owners.