State of Minnesota selects Applix for Web-Enabled help desk solution.

WESTBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 17, 1997--

Partnership Allows State of Minnesota to Provide

Statewide Software and Support Services System

Applix, Inc. (NASDAQ:APLX) today announced the signing of a strategic agreement with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services (MDHS). Under the terms of the agreement, the MDHS will deploy Applix's Enterprise Helpdesk System throughout its 87 counties to provide an enhanced problem report/tracking tool with specialized knowledge base support.

"We are very pleased to announce our new relationship with the State of Minnesota," said Jit Saxena, president and CEO of Applix. "Our web-enabled Helpdesk solution provides MDHS with a unique automated inquiry management system for quick and accurate response to callers' questions concerning public policy and law interpretation. It is very exciting to work with partners like MDHS that recognize the power and adaptability of Applix Enterprise and then take its applications far beyond traditional IT boundaries."

The MDHS is responsible for administering a wide variety of public assistance programs throughout the State of Minnesota. MDHS will deploy Applix's Helpdesk solution to provide LAN/WAN and World Wide Web access for call tracking, resolution capture and full system search capabilities which include specific knowledge bases containing public policy and law interpretations, published bulletins and procedure manuals. This new internal system will provide MDHS with multiple methods for question inquiry on user help and electronic technology; faster response to user questions; and an improved capture of responses to user questions into a knowledge base.

Additionally, MDHS service and support system implementation will include a component to bring many statewide users on-line to the system. With Applix's WebLink solution, MDHS users will have secure access, over the Internet, to resolution technologies allowing them to optionally log, update and check the status of outstanding issues. Also, WebLink will offer second-tier representative-level access to provide full application access to update, close and report on any aspect of information in the MDHS database.

"We look forward to working with Applix and using their expertise in the industry to provide a comprehensive report/tracking system," said Dale Simonson, Local Agency Support Team Leader, Minnesota Department of Human Services. "We have a large user base from eighty-seven counties that need to readily access the problem report, tracking and knowledge base components as well as MDHS Help Desks. We recognize the Applix Enterprise solution for its ability to streamline the entry and resolution of internal problems, questions and requests."

About Applix

Applix, Inc., based in Westboro, MA, provides solutions for the Real Time Enterprise -- those organizations that seek and gain competitive advantage by converting raw data into effective action in the shortest possible time. Applix develops, markets and supports Applixware, Applix Enterprise, Applix Anyware and TM1.

Applix Enterprise is an integrated set of customer interaction applications for customer service and help desk environments. Applixware is an open suite of integrated desktop tools that enable individual users with time-critical and historical data needs to access, analyze, display and communicate information from a universal desktop across heterogeneous client/server environments, including the Web. Applix Anyware is the first commercial applications solution that leverages Java and the thin-client architecture to develop and deploy interactive business applications to networked desktops. TM1 products provide real-time multidimensional analysis for decision support applications.

CONTACT: Applix, Inc. Neva Group

Dave Golan Janice Bedsole/Gina Marchese 

508-870-0300 617-441-4000 x. 237/253

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