Sequent Joins Forces With IBM to Bring DB2 Universal Database to Sequent Platform.

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 17, 1999--

Sequent Computer Systems, Inc., the leader in Intel-based data center solutions, today announced that it will make IBM's DB2 Universal Database available on Sequent NUMACenter(TM) and NUMA-Q(R) server platforms. The availability of DB2 Universal Database on Sequent servers will provide customers with a powerful new platform choice that delivers both high performance and easy manageability on systems with as many as 64 processors in decision support, customer relationship management and e-commerce applications.

The agreement, announced today at IBM's International DB2 Users Group (IDUG) conference, outlines an aggressive roadmap to port DB2 Universal Database to Sequent's systems and ensures an optimal transition path to the Project Monterey operating system for IA-64. Sequent and IBM are key players in Project Monterey, an initiative to deliver the industry's volume leading commercial Unix operating system.

"Sequent's focus on high-end e-commerce, operational, and decision support environments, is a perfect fit with IBM's DB2. We are excited to continue our close relationship with IBM by bringing DB2 to our customers and enabling them to leverage their existing resources and technology investments," said Jeff Pancottine, vice president global marketing at Sequent.

"Today's announcement underscores IBM and Sequent's commitment to deliver leading-edge e-business solutions for the data center, giving customers the power to leverage their existing resources and skills," said Jim Kelly, vice president, data management marketing, IBM. "The combination of DB2 Universal Database and Sequent's proven high-end solutions will give customers another powerful and scalable platform and help companies stay ahead of the competition."

"We run our core applications on DB2 in a mainframe environment and our data warehouse on Sequent's NUMA platform," said Keith Kaiser, Director of Information Services, Giant Eagle. "DB2 on the Sequent platform is an intriguing option, which promises to be a straightforward and cost-effective method of data extraction from our legacy transaction environment to Sequent's highly scalable and manageable data center."

Availability

Sequent expects to ship DB2 Universal Database on NUMA-Q and NUMACenter servers beginning in the fourth quarter of 1999. A beta release to customers is expected to be delivered in the third quarter.

About Sequent Computer Systems, Inc.

Sequent Computer Systems (Nasdaq: SQNT), the leader in Intel-based solutions for the data center, is committed to the success of its end-user and system integrator customers. Sequent's platform architectures and services are optimized for the scalability, availability and manageability requirements of large, growing corporate infrastructures leveraging Internet technologies, database technologies and best-of-breed partnerships.

Sequent supports more than 10,000 installations worldwide, including many of the world's largest and most sophisticated e-commerce, CRM and business intelligence environments. For further information, phone Sequent at [phone] or [phone], or visit our Web site at www.sequent.com.

Trademarks

Sequent and NUMA-Q, are registered trademarks and NUMACenter is a trademark of Sequent Computer Systems, Inc. All brand and product names appearing in this release are registered trademarks or trademarks of their respective holders.