Diamond.com Sparkles With Robust Web Application Testing Technologies From Empirix.

Business Editors

WALTHAM, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 12, 2001

Online Jewelry Retailer Standardizes on e-TEST suite and d-Tracker

from Empirix to Ensure Resilient Performance and 100% Uptime for

Valentine's Day Rush

Empirix, Inc., the innovative provider of test and monitor solutions for the converging worlds of Web and voice communications, announced today that Diamond.com(TM) (http://www.diamond.com) has selected its e-TEST(TM) suite and d-Tracker(TM) products to ensure a high-quality experience for customers visiting their e-commerce site. Recognizing that availability and reliability are key factors of a successful online business, Diamond.com chose testing solutions from Empirix to guarantee their site was scalable for heavy traffic spikes, such as the huge increase in site visitors they expect before Valentine's Day.

Launched in early 2000, Diamond.com has quickly become a global force in online jewelry and watch sales, providing its customers with access to the largest single inventory of certified diamonds in the world. With an inventory that is constantly changing and growing, Diamond.com needed a Web application testing solution that was affordable, easy to use and would enable them to conduct daily testing and monitoring. After evaluating and eliminating tools from several testing vendors, Diamond.com determined that the Empirix approach to full lifecycle testing would give them the support they needed in order to meet their aggressive performance goals. Now, by testing early and often, Diamond.com is fully equipped to fix bugs early and keep the site running flawlessly.

"As a rapidly expanding e-commerce company, we are always under time-to-market pressures," said George Grous, chief technology officer at Diamond.com. "The Empirix tools are extremely easy to use, allowing us to rapidly test and monitor our always-changing Web site. We chose Empirix as part of our ongoing commitment to build high quality Web applications and provide an enjoyable shopping experience for the people who matter most - our customers."

e-TEST suite offers Diamond.com both functional and regression testing, and d-Tracker provides a comprehensive defect tracking system. Additionally, Empirix is the only company to offer a solution that works in "Internet time," giving Diamond.com the ability to accurately gauge how their applications are working in real-time - for example, as thousands of Valentine shoppers hit the site.

"With the Valentine's Day holiday rapidly approaching, Diamond.com expects a high volume of consumer traffic, so site availability and performance are absolutely critical factors," said Steve Caplow, director of marketing and business development, Empirix, Inc. "Diamond.com relies on e-TEST suite from Empirix in order to guarantee the quality of experience for its customers, especially under peak conditions."

e-TEST suite from Empirix is a fully integrated Web testing and monitoring solution. The first testing solution built specifically for Web applications, e-TEST suite is comprised of separate components--e-Tester(TM) for functionality testing, e-Load(R) for scalability testing, and e-Monitor(R) for availability testing. In addition, e-TEST suite features e-Reporter(TM) that provides detailed reports on each test.

d-Tracker is a completely Web-based defect tracking solution built specifically to address the quality needs of business-critical Web applications. d-Tracker offers developers and QA teams an easy-to-use solution that addresses the full spectrum of defect tracking and management.

About Diamond.com

Odimo.com, the parent company of Diamond.com and WorldofWatches.com, is majority-owned by The Steinmetz Diamond Group, one of the world 's leading international diamond manufacturing and trading companies and SOFTBANK Capital Partners, LP. The Steinmetz Diamond Group is well known for having cut and polished the world's most valuable diamond, the Millennium Star, a 203 carat D-flawless stone currently on exhibit at the Millennium Dome in London. Other partners include STI Ventures, Data Investments, LLC and the Lipton Group.

About Empirix

Empirix develops and markets innovative testing and monitoring products for business-critical Web and voice applications. Its portfolio of software, hardware and service solutions ensures that e-business and networked systems deliver the highest possible Quality of Experience (QoE) to customers and business partners alike. Formed by the combination of Hammer Technologies and RSW Software, and funded by Matrix Partners, Empirix currently delivers products, services and support to more than 1,200 customers worldwide, including leading telcos, call centers, Fortune 1000 organizations, switch manufacturers and major dot.coms. Empirix is headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts and has offices in Europe, Asia-Pacific and Japan. For more information, visit Empirix on the Web at www.empirix.com.

e-TEST, e-Tester, e-Load, e-Monitor, e-Reporter and d-Tracker are trademarks of Empirix, Inc. in the United States and other countries. Diamond.com is a trademark of Diamond.com in the United States and other countries All other names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.