Exodus Communications President and CEO Ellen Hancock Addresses Massachusetts Software & Internet Council's Spring Membership Meeting.

Business/Technology Editors

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2001

Former Lycos CEO Bob Davis Discusses His New Book "Speed is Life";

Sen. John Kerry Encourages Investments in Infrastructure, Workforce,

and Research to Succeed in the 21st Century

At the 2001 Spring Membership Meeting of the Massachusetts Software & Internet Council held today at the Boston Marriott Copley, Ellen M. Hancock, president and CEO of Exodus Communications, detailed "Hosting's Second Act: Adapting to the New New Economy."

In her speech, debunking F. Scott Fitzgerald's famous dictum that "there are no second acts in American lives," Ellen M. Hancock discussed web-hosting in the aftermath of the dot-com euphoria. Hancock described her company's strategic shift from the dot-com market to the enterprise hosting market and outlined the strategies that Exodus is pursuing to provide its customers an increasingly sophisticated array of managed hosting services. Hancock also explored the factors driving the need for such services in the "new" new economy of the 21st century.

Also speaking at the meeting was Bob Davis, partner at Highland Capital and former CEO and founder of Lycos, who discussed his new book, "Speed is Life". In his speech, Davis recounted the five short and exhilarating years it took him to turn the company from a $2 million venture investment into a $5.4 billion merger. Davis offered an invaluable glimpse at how business works and how to stay one step ahead in today's ever more competitive world. The book, due for release from Random House/Doubleday on May 22, 2001, is his story from the front lines of business and details how his lessons apply to new and old economy companies alike. Davis also described his experiences and challenges as one of America's top business executives turned first-time author.

Senator John F. Kerry, a member of the Senate Technology Subcommittee, made remarks focused on public policy for the New Economy. Senator Kerry is a co-sponsor of the Broadband Internet Access Act of 2001 that would provide tax credits to companies that deploy broadband services in under-served low-income and rural areas, thereby helping to ensure that such areas receive advanced services in a timely manner. "Today the business of America is information -- and the test of any business plan hinges on the ability to send and receive information at high speeds, quickly and efficiently. It is clear that broadband communications services provide new opportunities for business, and to educate our children, and care for the sick. As we work to craft polices that will help grow our economy and raise the standard of living for all Americans, we should partner with the private sector to encourage investments in the infrastructure, workforce, and research our country needs to succeed in the 21st century", stated Kerry.

"In spite of what has taken place in the dot-com marketplace, the Internet is here to stay. Companies will have to adapt to the new rules of a 21st century economy in order to stay competitive," said Shikhar Ghosh, president and CEO of Verilytics, Inc., and chairman of the Massachusetts Software & Internet Council. "It is our goal to introduce Council members to compelling speakers like Ellen Hancock and Bob Davis, as well as our leaders in Congress, like Senator Kerry, as public policy issues take on an increased significance in the software and Internet industries."

In addition to the keynote addresses, the entries to the 2001 Visual Communications Design Contest by students from the Boston University School for the Arts were on display for attendees to review.

About the Massachusetts Software & Internet Council

The Massachusetts Software & Internet Council was founded in 1985 to promote the Massachusetts software and Internet industry and to help companies compete successfully in global markets. Currently there are 775 member companies. The Council organizes more than 50 meetings a year on the business aspects of managing software and Internet companies; it conducts research on the industry; it represents the software and Internet industry on technology-related public policy issues; it creates innovative programs to deal with the shortage of skilled workers; and it is one of the founding associations of the Dot.commonwealth Coalition, which was formed in 1999 to promote Massachusetts as a center of technology leadership and innovation. For more information, please visit the Council's website at www.msicouncil.org.