Groove Networks Announces Availability Of Groove Version 2.0 For Small Businesses and Individuals.

Business/Technology Editors

BEVERLY, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 15, 2002

Now available via the Web, cost-effective collaboration solution

features Microsoft Office integration, advanced toolsets, and

customizable tools

Groove Networks Inc. today announced that for the first time small businesses and individuals can purchase Groove(R) products and services from the company's Web site at www.groove.net. Available immediately is Groove Workspace(TM), an out-of-the-box collaboration solution for small businesses and individuals seeking to increase productivity, reduce travel costs, and maximize connections with partners, customers and suppliers. Groove Workspace version 2.0 features integration with Microsoft Office applications, time-saving project and meeting management tools, and the ability to customize tools for specific business tasks and processes.

"We recently started discussions with a prospective client and quickly discovered that we both used Groove," said Andy Burnett, director of innovation for Knowledge Associates, a UK-based management consultancy specializing in knowledge management. "Within minutes we had a shared Groove space set up, which then allowed the prospective client to involve all of her team members in the discussions. Without Groove, we would have lost a lot of time exchanging emails or trying to schedule a conference call. Groove allowed us to very quickly bring together all the people and information we needed to come to a decision."

"Groove has allowed a multi-state company to function as if it was in a single location," said John Himebook, COO of Pro Nvest, a professional money management firm focused on 401(k) retirement plan education and advice.

"We rely on Groove for document version control, current project plans and budgets, and holding our partners accountable, as we require them to populate Groove workspaces with their project plans and marketing literature for our use. The document review and project management tools in Groove version 2.0 will allow us to be more efficient in the use of our time, which has a direct bottom-line impact in our business," Himebook added.

"As a small company, being able to manage project-related data and communications semantically encapsulated within a workspace has proven to be a big time saver," said Jon Zimmerman, CEO of Symbiant Group, a technology consultancy and integrator. "Groove has allowed us to work in a fashion I could only imagine a team three or four times our size being able to accomplish within the same timeframe and cost. From what I've seen of the new tools in Groove version 2.0, coordinating our development projects in Groove will be even more efficient."

Groove Workspace

Groove Workspace enables small businesses and individual users to create secure, interactive shared spaces, invite and interact with contacts inside and outside their companies, and choose the tools they need to accomplish their tasks. Existing Groove users report cost-savings from reduced email server management and support expenses, reduced travel expenses, and productivity gains from being able to organize activities and communications within the context of specific projects and processes.

Groove Workspace version 2.0, available in Standard and Professional editions, features a host of new tools and features. Some of the most significant are:

-- Files Tool The Groove Files tool has been enhanced to support real-time
reviewing and editing of Microsoft Word files, as well as real-time viewing of
PowerPoint presentations. The tool also features a preview pane compatible with
most popular file types.

-- Microsoft Outlook Integration Supplementing existing integration with
Microsoft Windows Messenger, Groove Workspace now supports integration with
Microsoft Outlook. This feature addresses the needs of frustrated email users
seeking to make order from the chaos of multiple-person email discussion
threads that lack context and continuity. Users can now create a Groove shared
space directly from Outlook, importing the contacts and content from a specific
email thread into the space.

-- Project Toolsets The new Groove Project Toolsets enable users to manage
projects more effectively, particularly across company boundaries where
security is a concern. Users can create and manage projects, assign tasks, and
create and print reports. Professional Edition users can import from and export
to Microsoft Project documents. Professional Edition users also benefit from a
"dashboard" for viewing either personal, or the entire teams' pending meetings
and tasks.

-- Meetings Tool The new Groove Meetings Tool allows users to schedule and
manage online meetings with members inside and outside their companies,
surpassing the capabilities of most email and messaging programs. Users can
create agendas, invite participants, assign a chairperson, take meeting
minutes, and assign action items.

-- Document Review Tool The Groove Document Review Tool alleviates the
cumbersome and insecure process of editing and reviewing documents using email
attachments. Users can initiate a review cycle, add files, select reviewers
within and outside their companies, send and receive notifications, make
comments and mark up documents - all within a secure shared space.

-- Forms Tool With the new Groove Forms Tool, users can easily create custom,
forms-based tools to match specific business tasks and processes, or choose
from a set of templates including Customer Support, Hardware Tracker, Hiring
Requisition, Policies, Process Library, Status Reports, and Issues Tracking.
Professional Edition users can add scripts, macros and objects to forms.

"It's hard to pinpoint the single most effective Groove tool; the real power of Groove comes from having the full collection of tools in one place, at one's fingertips," said Charlie Nagelschmidt, principal with iMarch Partners LLC, an Internet accelerator. "There are tools for the individual, tools that facilitate sharing, and tools that are a foundation for distance collaboration. The most useful tool truly depends on the need at hand - the power comes from Groove having a wide array of tools to help."

Groove Networks' Hosted Relay Services provide users with offline support, firewall traversal, presence services and bandwidth optimization. In addition to new and enhanced features and tools, Groove Workspace also features enhancements in shared space management, usability and performance. For more information on these enhancements, visit http://www.groove.net/products/all/workspace/newin2.html.

Pricing and Availability

Groove Workspace Standard Edition version 2.0 is $49 per user. Groove Workspace Professional Edition version 2.0 is $99 per user. Both versions are immediately available to small businesses and individuals at www.groove.net. For small businesses with more than 100 users, additional products and services are available for directory integration, license management, systems integration, training and support. Groove Networks will continue to offer Groove Workspace Preview Edition at no cost for personal use or business trial from www.groove.net. It is identical in features to Groove Workspace Standard Edition version 2.0, with the exception of limiting the number of spaces, meetings, projects and forms.

System Requirements 

Groove Workspace requires Windows Me, 98, NT 4.0, 2000 or XP, and an Intel-compatible personal computer with a minimum 64 MB of memory, 400 MHz Pentium processor, 100 MB available hard disk storage (with 60 MB additional space for data), 56K (or faster) Internet connection, and Internet Explorer 4 or higher (Internet Explorer 5.5 or later required for Groove Forms tool). An Intel Pentium 4 system is recommended for optimum performance.

About Groove Networks

Founded in October 1997 and headquartered in Beverly, Mass., Groove Networks Inc. provides software and services that enable organizations to increase their return on connection by extending critical business processes, projects, and meetings across time, space, and organizational boundaries. For more information about Groove Networks, visit http://www.groove.net.

Editor's Note: Groove version 2.0 artwork, photos, screenshots, and other background materials are available at: http://www.groove.net/extras/press/v2/.

Groove Networks, Groove and Groove Workspace are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Groove Networks Inc. All other trademarks are owned by their respective companies.