New Deployment and Services Options for Lotus Sametime

[BigBlueBall News]

Press Release

January 28, 2002

IBM To Expand Market Leadership of Lotus Sametime
with a Range of e-Meeting Offerings

ORLANDO, Fla., January 28, 2002 -- IBM Corporation today announced plans to introduce new licensing, deployment and customization services for IBM Lotus Sametime, its industry-leading presence, instant messaging and e-meeting software. These new services will include hosted delivery of these capabilities and a range of customization options, which will provide customers with the compelling benefits of e-meeting technology combined with the purchasing and deployment flexibility that meets their business goals.

"The e-meeting market is poised for tremendous growth over the next several years. Economic changes have forced many of our customers to find more cost-effective alternatives to business travel, and Sametime e-meetings help bridge the productivity gap created by reduced travel," said Michael Loria, director of Advanced Collaboration, Lotus Software, IBM Software Group. "Having a choice between self-managed and hosted services adds convenience and flexibility for our customers. IBM is uniquely positioned to deliver world-class collaboration software with unparalleled global reach."

Lotus Sametime, the leading enterprise instant messaging and e-meeting platform, provides customers with a wide range of capabilities, including instant messaging, e-meetings, white boarding, screen sharing, audio- and video-conferencing, wireless instant messaging and instant multilingual translations, specifically designed for business use. These capabilities assist customers in their efforts to reduce travel, decrease operating costs and improve communication and productivity. Providing Sametime capabilities as a service will enable IBM Lotus software to offer customers more options to acquire a real-time collaboration solution. In addition, by combining this market-leading technology with the experience and global capabilities of IBM Global Services, IBM will have an unrivaled breadth of secure and scalable real-time services.

"Enterprise customers have identified security as their top priority for conferencing applications," said Jim Gant, vice president of e-Business Hosting Services, IBM Global Services. "The combination of security-minded software, such as Lotus Sametime, and IBM Global Services�Œ focus on secure hosting services, will give our customers the peace of mind to focus on their core strengths and business goals."

With these new licensing and deployment options for Lotus Sametime, line-of-business managers will have the option to easily implement an immediate, secure collaboration solution without engaging IT resources for administration and deployment. Lotus software is providing customers with faster and more cost-effective ways in which to utilize the technology and business benefits of Lotus Sametime.

Pricing and Availability

The premise-based offering of Lotus Sametime and hosted services from IBM Global Services are available today on a customized basis. For additional information on pricing and availability for the premise-based offering, please visit www.lotus.com/sametime. Pricing and availability for customization services from IBM Software Services for Lotus will be available midyear. For additional information on a range of hosted services from IBM Global Services, please visit www-3.ibm.com/services/e-business/hosting.

About Lotus Software from IBM

Lotus software from IBM sets the standard for truly innovative software and services that reflect the brand�Œs unique representation of the new ways individuals and businesses work together to achieve success. Lotus software is further redefining the concept of conducting business through practical Knowledge Management, e-business and other groundbreaking ways of connecting ideas, thinkers, buyers, sellers and communities around the world via the Internet. Lotus software is marketed in more than 80 countries worldwide through direct sales and extensive Business Partner channels. Consulting, support and education services are provided by the IBM Software Services for Lotus organization.

Contact:

Jennifer Snyder

Lotus Software

IBM Software Group

617-448-0281

jennifer_snyder@us.ibm.com

Angela Frechette

Text 100 Public Relations

617-501-5511

angelaf@text100.com

http://www.lotus.com/sametime