PLATINUM technology Emerges as Enterprise Management Leader with Major Expansion of PLATINUM ProVision.

OAKBROOK TERRACE, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 1998--

Company expands offerings in network, systems, application, and database management; Tivoli integrates with ProVision

Furthering its position as a leading provider of enterprise management solutions, PLATINUM technology, inc. (NASDAQ: PLAT) today announced it has significantly expanded its ProVision suite with solutions for network, systems, application, and database management. These additions clearly reinforce ProVision's prominence as one of the industry's most comprehensive solutions for managing applications, data, desktops, systems, and networks across the enterprise.

PLATINUM has expanded ProVision in five key areas: Network Management, including cross-platform network monitoring; Systems Management, including enterprise security, help desk, and configuration management solutions; Database Management, including backup and recovery and data load and unload; Application Management, including performance monitoringand management; and integration with the Tivoli Management Framework.

PLATINUM is introducing all of these enhancements this week in Chicago at PLATforum, the company's annual user conference.

"Since its initial release last fall, ProVision has been praised for its unique modular approach to enterprise management, and for being the only solution that provides best-in-class tools in a tightly integrated suite," said Andrew "Flip" Filipowski, president and CEO of PLATINUM. "With today's announcements and strong customer acceptance, we now offer the market a powerful alternative for enterprise management -- ProVision, `the UnFramework'."

"PLATINUM's modular approach to integrating their specialized ProVision tools offers organizations the easy deployment and full functionality needed for quick return on investment while maintaining flexibility for future growth," said Paul Mason, vice president of infrastructure software research at IDC. "These new additions to ProVision will help PLATINUM's solution compete in the top tier of enterprise management offerings."

NEW ADDITIONS TO PROVISION

ProVision Network Management

The new ProVision Network Monitor provides cross-platform network monitoring, service-level reporting, advanced event notification, and workgroup application monitoring. This tool gives administrators a comprehensive view of the network, by providing status on all aspects of the network including SNMP devices, network connectivity, performance, sockets, services, and applications. Network Monitor is an easy to install solution that can deliver immediate payback to IT organizations.

ProVision Systems Management

PLATINUM is demonstrating and introducing major enhancements/additions to ProVision's systems management solution, including:

-- Security: ProVision Single Sign On (SSO) security tool and SSO's optional feature, Enterprise Security Administration (ESA), allows users to securely log on to all their applications with only one user ID and password. The tools also allow IT staff to set up and delete user accounts from a centralized point, greatly simplifying security administration.

-- Help Desk: AutoAnswer, PLATINUM's full-featured help desk and call center management solution, is now part of ProVision. AutoAnswer combines industry-leading problem resolution and call management technology to automate and improve technical support and customer service processes. PLATINUM has also integrated its help desk solution with Intel Corporation's LANDesk Management Suite to provide integrated systems management and help desk functions for customers using both products.

-- Desktop Configuration Management: PLATINUM has completed initial integration between LANDesk Configuration Manager and ProVision, which facilitates easy configuration of ProVision management agents on desktops throughout the enterprise. Along with the Help Desk/LANDesk Management Suite integration, this represents an important milestone in PLATINUM's partnership with Intel.

ProVision Database Management

PLATINUM is introducing ProVision Backup and Recovery, a solution that synchronizes automated backup and recovery of relational database management systems (RDBMSs) across the enterprise. This solution helps ensure data integrity and data availability by minimizing database downtime. PLATINUM is also introducing ProVision Fast Load and Fast Unload, tools that quickly move data in and out of databases. Fast data load and unload are crucial to maintaining high availability of data, because databases are unavailable to end users while these processes are occurring.

ProVision Application Management

ProVision's Network Monitor tool augments ProVision's existing application management tools to provide comprehensive management of applications. Network Monitor provides monitoring of NT and Novell application servers, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes and other workgroup application-specific components. By combining Network Monitor with ProVision job management, database management, and other solutions, PLATINUM now offers a powerful, multi-disciplined approach to application management.

ProVision Integration with Key Vendor

Today's announcements demonstrate the ability to easily integrate third -party tools with ProVision's component-based common services. To facilitate enterprise event management for customers using both PLATINUM's and Tivoli's solutions as part of their enterprise environment, PLATINUM has developed an Event Adapter for the Tivoli Management Framework which is used to pass events from the ProVision suite to the Tivoli Enterprise Console. ProVision event management is facilitated by the PLATINUM Open Enterprise Management Services (POEMS), which provides centralized integration for all ProVision tools.

Pricing and Availability

The following new ProVision tools are available now: ProVision Network Monitor, with pricing starting at $1,000; and the ProVision Event Adapter for Tivoli, with pricing starting at $25,000 per copy. Other ProVision tools mentioned in this release will be available in the third quarter of 1998.

About ProVision

ProVision is PLATINUM's solution for enterprise management, covering application, desktop, network, databases, and systems management. It is a suite of best-in-class tools integrated together using a set of common services called POEMS (PLATINUM Open Enterprise Management Services). These common services form a component architecture that ensures reliability, scalability, and consistency across the tools. Because of the component design, customers can implement tools in a modular approach gaining the benefit of integration as multiple tools are deployed. These facilities help ProVision deliver a level of task and process automation unparalleled in distributed computing. ProVision tools are packaged and priced separately.

About PLATINUM technology

PLATINUM technology, inc., headquartered in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, had 1997 revenues of $739 million. PLATINUM provides software and services that help IT organizations manage and improve the IT infrastructure. Solutions include database and systems management, data warehousing and decision support, application lifecycle, and Year 2000 reengineering. For information visit www.platinum.com.

All PLATINUM technology, inc. product names and product category names are trademarks of PLATINUM technology, inc. Other company names and product names referenced herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the respective corporation.

   CONTACT: For Press Inquiries:
             Faye Merrideth
             PLATINUM technology, inc.
             630/620-5000, ext. 1643
             [e-mail]
                     or
             Laura Schonemann
             Cunningham Communication
             617/494-8202, ext. 4218
             [e-mail]
                     or
             For Investor Inquiries:
             Maria Dalesandro
             PLATINUM technology, inc.
             630/691-0771
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