NEC Solutions America enters agreement to acquire Exinom Technologies.

NEC Solutions (America), Inc. has announced that it signed an agreement to acquire Exinom Technologies, Inc., a systems integrator providing mission-critical corporate performance management (CPM), business intelligence (BI), and data warehouse technology solutions. After closing, Exinom will merge with Niteo Partners, Inc., a technology consulting firm with expertise in portals, content management and web services. Niteo Partners is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NEC Solutions America.

CPM is the methodologies, metrics, processes and systems used to monitor and manage the business performance of an enterprise. By 2006, Gartner, Inc. estimates that over 50 percent of Global 1000 enterprises will implement all or part of CPM, combining traditional applications with the analytical tools of BI.

"Exinom's corporate performance management competencies represent another critical element that will strengthen the repertoire of integrated solutions NEC Solutions America offers," said Toshi Iwanami, president and CEO of NEC Solutions America. "Exinom's success in bringing business intelligence innovation to Global 2000 customers complements NEC's rich history of technological expertise, and once acquired will further enable NEC to deliver its vision of the Connected Enterprise in North America."

John Kelly, president and CEO of Niteo Partners, sees many opportunities for Exinom to expand Niteo's suite of solutions. "CPM is a growing need for our Global 2000 clients. In today's business environment, effectively managing enterprise performance is essential to remain competitive," he said. "Together, the companies will offer an effective blend of business consulting, program management and technical expertise to deliver end to end solutions to our clients."

Exinom has achieved the status of a Cognos Pinnacle Partner, and has been recognized by the company for the value and benefits customers have derived across various industries and applications. Cognos is the world leader in BI and performance planning software, and is recognized in Gartner's 2003 Magic Quadrant for Enterprise BI Suites and BI Platforms as leading in both "completeness of vision" and "ability to execute."

In addition to industry-leading partners, Exinom and Niteo Partners share a Global 2000 clientele in industries such as financial services, pharmaceutical and healthcare, technology, manufacturing, telecommunications and utilities. With this merger, Niteo is poised to help clients in these and other industries optimize their investments in meeting requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act into a competitive advantage.

"NEC and Niteo are an excellent strategic fit for Exinom," said Suresh Nichani, president and CEO of Exinom. "Together, we provide end to end performance management solutions to our customers. Once we become an integrated company, we hope to create a solid platform to accelerate consulting revenue growth nationally."

Another capability that Exinom will bring to the NEC family is the successful management of offshore software development and maintenance. Exinom is unique in that they only outsource projects in their core areas of competency. The acquisition, subject to ordinary closing conditions, is expected to be complete in the next few weeks. Financial details were not disclosed.

Exinom Technologies, Inc. is a systems integrator specializing in providing mission critical IT solutions. Founded in 1995, the company delivers end-to-end business intelligence, business planning and forecasting, and corporate performance management (CPM) solutions. Exinom's financial and analytical expertise helps clients harness and understand business critical data to make more informed business decisions. Clients include many Global 2000 companies in financial services, healthcare, manufacturing and media, including Hunter Douglas and Siemens. The firm has been listed twice consecutively among the "Fastest Growing Companies in North America" by Inc. 500.