EMC Corporation Adopts Knowledge Management Approach to Technical Support Using Primus SolutionSeries Software.

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 23, 1998--Primus, a leading provider of problem resolution and knowledge management software for customer support organizations, today announced that EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC), the world's leading provider of enterprise storage systems, software and services, has selected Primus(R) SolutionSeries(TM) software for implementation throughout its worldwide customer service organization.

Primus software will help EMC's customer service organization build a knowledgebase of solutions and solve problems more effectively for both its service technicians and its customers, which include world-leading companies in finance, manufacturing, retailing and technology.

"Customers rely on our innovative enterprise storage solutions to quickly and efficiently access mission-critical information 24 hours a day, seven days a week," said Leo Colborne, vice president of worldwide technical support for EMC. "EMC has earned a reputation for superior customer satisfaction. By implementing Primus SolutionSeries products, we will be able to fulfill our customers' critical service needs even more quickly and effectively."

Designed to provide a complete, integrated approach to problem resolution and solution knowledge management across the enterprise, the SolutionSeries software family includes the SolutionBuilder(R), SolutionExplorer(TM) and SolutionPublisher(R) client software applications. Each of these client applications is geared toward a distinct group of users within the support community, enabling all those involved in a support interaction to solve problems in the most productive way.

More than 300 customer service professionals in EMC's Hopkinton, Mass., and Cork, Ireland, support centers now use SolutionBuilder software to manage information about EMC's advanced enterprise storage and retrieval solutions. All of the world's top 25 telecom companies, all of the 25 largest U.S. banks, and 72 percent of the Fortune 500 use EMC's storage solutions to consolidate, manage, share and protect corporate information vital to their day-to-day operations.

Using the SolutionBuilder product, EMC customer service professionals can find existing solutions or capture new solution information about EMC products, including EMC's cornerstone enterprise storage platform, Symmetrix. The SolutionBuilder product also enables EMC's customer service professionals to author new solutions and make them immediately available throughout the enterprise, providing EMC employees and customers with consistent and timely solutions. Since the implementation of the SolutionBuilder product in July, the knowledgebase used by EMC support professionals has grown to more than 1,000 solutions.

"EMC clearly understands the strategic value of managing support knowledge for customer retention," said Michael Brochu, president and CEO of Primus. "With SolutionSeries software in place, EMC has the means to deliver the right solution to each sector of its support audience -- from field service technicians to business partners to customers."

Primus SolutionSeries Software and SolutionSeries.com(TM)

Online Service

The Primus SolutionSeries family of problem resolution and knowledge management software is specifically designed to help support organizations increase customer satisfaction and reduce costs by solving problems more effectively. Primus SolutionBuilder software enables support professionals to create solutions in the workflow, ensure knowledgebase quality and manage problem resolution processes. Primus SolutionExplorer software provides support professionals with Web-based access to solution knowledge and the ability to immediately capture and contribute new information to the knowledgebase. Primus SolutionPublisher software allows customers to access solution knowledge directly via the Web and solve problems themselves. Primus SolutionSeries.com is a hosted, online subscription service that delivers Primus' powerful problem resolution technology and knowledge management capabilities to support organizations without the cost and complexity of system ownership. All SolutionSeries products integrate easily with leading call-tracking applications, including those from Clarify (Nasdaq:CLFY), Remedy (Nasdaq:RMDY), Siebel Systems (Nasdaq:SEBL) and Vantive (Nasdaq:VNTV).

Primus

Primus is a leading provider of problem resolution and knowledge management software that enables support organizations to capture, share and manage knowledge worldwide. In its effort to define the ideal business model and problem resolution technology for customer support organizations, Primus founded the Customer Support Consortium(R) (now an independent, non-profit alliance of more than 70 leading technology vendors) in 1992 and helped the Consortium develop the Solution-Centered Support(SM) model. Primus customers include 3COM (Nasdaq:COMS), 3M (NYSE:MMM), Best Software, Inc. (Nasdaq:BEST), Entex, Fujitsu Limited (TSE:6702), Lucent Technology -- Microelectronics Group (NYSE:LU), Marcam Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq:MRCM), SHL/MCI Systemhouse (Nasdaq:MCIC), Motorola (NYSE:MOT), Network Associates (Nasdaq:NETA), Nortel (NYSE:NT), QAD Inc. (Nasdaq:QADI), Simplex Time Recorder Co., SOFTBANK Services Group and Vanguard Cellular. The Seattle-based firm is privately held with $32 million in venture funding from investors led by Trans Cosmos, Inc., Oak Investment Partners, Norwest Venture Capital, Nevis Capital Management, EnCompass Venture Partners and Piper Jaffray Venture Fund. Primus has offices in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. Primus Knowledge Solutions UK Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of Primus, has offices in London. Primus KK, a joint venture with Trans Cosmos, Inc., markets and sells SolutionSeries products in Japan. For more information, contact Primus at 1601 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1900, Seattle, Washington, 98101, 206/292-1000, or visit the Primus Web site at www.primus.com.

Primus, SolutionSeries, SolutionBuilder, SolutionExplorer, SolutionPublisher, SolutionSeries.com and their respective logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Primus Knowledge Solutions, Inc. Other product and company names mentioned in this publication are the trademarks of their respective owners.