Deployment of AlphaBlox Analysis Suite Greatly Reduces Time and Costs for Agilent Technologies' Financial Managers; Web-Based Analytical Application Helps Agilent Manage R&D Investments.

Business Editors/High-tech Writers

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 1, 2000

AlphaBlox Corporation, provider of the only open Web-based platform for eBusiness analysis applications, today announced that Agilent Technologies has deployed a Web-based portfolio tracking application built with AlphaBlox Analysis Suite.

Agilent's AlphaBlox solution provides financial managers with the ability to closely track Agilent's research and development project costs across Agilent's four business sectors, and provides lab directors with the ability to identify opportunities to streamline costs through personalized access to financial information related to their research and development projects.

"We have a need to closely manage our investment in the different projects and portfolios," said Constance Finch, Financial Operations Manager for Agilent Labs. "With four diverse business units, each with many projects going on simultaneously, this task can get very complex very quickly. It used to take us several days just to aggregate all of the financial data relating to each project. Now with AlphaBlox, we can easily create Web-based portfolios that track projects by person, hours, dollars, product, and business unit, allowing us to bill the appropriate business unit by research project."

The AlphaBlox solution also empowers lab directors outside of the finance organization to manage their costs and track their financial performance. In the past, the finance organization was tasked with creating customized quarterly reports for the lab director of each business area. While the reports tracked key measures for each project, lab directors inevitably had additional questions specific to their business units and projects. To satisfy these additional inquiries, the finance organization would create additional customized reports, a time consuming manual process. With AlphaBlox, each director has access to a personalized view of the application, providing the exact information and analysis they need to better measure and manage their project costs.

This not only takes a tremendous burden off of Finch's group, it also provides managers with more insight into their business than was possible with static reports. "Managers today need more than just numbers, they need to understand what's behind the numbers," said Finch. "The AlphaBlox application allows our users to do their own analysis and create their own reports right from their desktops. They are totally empowered."

According to Finch, aside from making managers more productive, the benefits AlphaBlox provided included significant cost and time savings, and increased employee and customer satisfaction.

--  Data input time: reduced from 3 days to 3 hours (per quarter)

--  Report creation time: reduced from 2 days to instantaneous report
    distribution: reduced from 3 hours to instantaneous (information
    available on intra net Web site)

--  Customer inquiries: With information now on-line inquiries to the
    finance department have dropped to almost zero, saving as much as
    60 hours per quarter. Customer satisfaction has likewise increased
    substantially.

--  Manager's timesavings: Time saved estimated at 30 hours per
    quarter.

--  Employee satisfaction: Finance department employees are now able
    to focus on value-added activities like analysis, rather than
    doing mind-numbing data input or report rework.

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: A) is a diversified technology company, resulting from Hewlett-Packard Company's plan to strategically realign itself into two fully independent companies. With 42,000 employees serving customers in more than 120 countries, Agilent Technologies is a global leader in designing and manufacturing test, measurement and monitoring instruments, systems and solutions, and semiconductor and optical components. The company serves markets that include communications, electronics, life sciences and healthcare. The businesses comprising Agilent, a subsidiary of HP, had net revenues of more than $8.3 billion in fiscal year 1999. Information about Agilent Technologies can be found on the Web at www.agilent.com.

About AlphaBlox

AlphaBlox Corporation provides the industry's only 100% Web-based platform for delivering analytical applications that optimize eBusiness efficiencies. With AlphaBlox, companies can share and analyze information with customers, partners, and suppliers to build eBusiness communities, foster more profitable eBusiness relationships, and improve business performance.

Leveraging AlphaBlox's unique "building Blox(TM)" approach customers and partners can quickly assemble and deploy a variety of customized analytical applications for measuring and improving eBusiness operations, financial performance, customer/product profitability, distribution channels, and the supply chain. Leading organizations such as Deutsche Bank Securities, AT&T, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, Hewlett-Packard, Toyota Motor Company, and ChannelPoint rely on AlphaBlox solutions to turn their information assets into strategic advantage. Additional information on AlphaBlox Corporation and its products can be obtained by calling 888/256-9669 or via the company's web site at www.alphablox.com.

Note to Editors: AlphaBlox is a trademark of AlphaBlox Corporation. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.