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Leading Analysts Offer Support for Softricity SoftGrid's Utility Computing Solution

Posted on: Monday, 17 November 2003, 06:00 CST

BOSTON, MA -- (MARKET WIRE) -- 11/17/2003 -- Softricity, developer of the SoftGrid 3.0 application management platform, today announced that several leading industry analysts have expressed support for Softricity's unique role in enabling the vision of utility computing. Comments from Enterprise Management Associates, Grid Technology Partners, IDC, Nemertes Research and Yankee Group confirm that Softricity's newest product, SoftGrid 3.0 (see separate product release announced today), addresses a critical piece of the utility computing landscape: software applications.

Enterprise IT today is facing a crisis of complexity. Hardware, operating systems and applications are growing in scope and intricacy, making them increasingly costly to manage. Adding to the problem is that most elements of a computing environment are installed and configured for specific uses, making it very hard to quickly adapt to change. For example, hardware is often assigned individual roles (such as a web server or database) and operating systems are usually tied to specific servers. Software applications are installed and run within these hard-coded, static environments. The result is a tightly bound coupling of application and hardware that is labor-intensive to manage.

Utility computing is the idea that hardware and software are no longer statically bound to the other. Each layer is virtualized -- designed to be dynamically assigned in real-time to whatever task needs the resource. This is occurring with hardware (Grid computing), operating systems (virtual machine software), networked storage (SANs) and networks (NAS, virtual private networks). One area that has heretofore not been addressed is virtualizing the software applications that run on these platforms.

Softricity SoftGrid virtualizes software applications by turning them into centrally managed, on-demand network services that execute on the specific computer(s) that needs the functionality in real-time -- without installation and without altering the underlying operating system. In doing this, SoftGrid enables IT to accelerate application deployment, while at the same time creating dramatic efficiencies in managing the entire application management process. In effect, SoftGrid turns applications into on-demand services that are centrally managed and delivered to users -- similar to the way dial tone or electricity is provided in traditional utility industries -- thus the "utility computing" moniker.

Analysts are offering broad support for Softricity's solution and the role it plays in utility computing:

-- Enterprise Management Associates: Mark Ehr, senior analyst "Utility computing is gaining a lot of attention due to the efficiencies that it can potentially deliver. A key step toward the realization of the utility computing vision is to bring applications into the utility environment. Managing applications is tremendously time- and resource-consuming. SoftGrid's unique approach to transforming applications into globally accessible, centrally managed network services -- that IT can treat as utilities -- helps reduce these costs significantly, turning organizations into more dynamic, efficient enterprises."

-- Grid Technology Partners: Ahmar Abbas, founder "SoftGrid provides one of the most critical pieces needed for turning the vision of utility computing into reality today. By virtualizing software, SoftGrid allows IT to add existing applications to a utility computing infrastructure where everything -- networks, storage, hardware, operating systems and now software -- is delivered and managed in real-time. SoftGrid's dynamic, use-as-you-go approach provides the flexibility and efficiencies IT organizations need today."

-- IDC: Dan Kusnetzky, VP of system software research "Organizations are increasingly looking for ways to virtualize their software environments and allow their IT infrastructure to be highly manageable, robust and reliable. Software that virtualizes application deployment and allows applications to be seen as services that workers can utilize as needed, such as Softricity's SoftGrid, clearly support that trend. This is likely to reduce critical staff-related costs for software installation, software updates and asset management, and reduce the organization's total cost of ownership."

-- Nemertes Research: Melanie Turek, principal research analyst "Simplifying application management complexities can have a significant impact on IT organizations. By delivering applications as services and eliminating application conflicts, as SoftGrid does, companies can save valuable time-time that IT staffs traditionally spent installing and testing applications, upgrades and patches."

-- Yankee Group: Dana Gardner, senior analyst, application infrastructure and software platforms "SoftGrid's utility computing approach streamlines the steps and reduces the resources needed for application management. SoftGrid enables IT to consolidate servers, compress the entire application management process, and free staff to focus on more strategic business projects."

"We're pleased that the experts following this industry recognize SoftGrid's unique value and tangible benefits," said Harry Ruda, CEO, Softricity. "Their comments reinforce the feedback we're receiving from our more than 70 customers worldwide, who have found that by treating software as an easily-managed utility, SoftGrid helps them address critical IT management and infrastructure pains that previously could not be solved."

About Softricity:

Softricity® helps enterprises simplify and accelerate their entire software management and deployment with SoftGrid® -- the industry's first application virtualization solution -- reliably and cost-effectively for past, present and future applications. SoftGrid transforms Windows applications from products that must be installed locally into network services that are centrally configured, managed, and deployed on-demand to desktops, laptops and Citrix/Terminal Services servers -- preventing application conflicts, eliminating regression testing and increasing change management responsiveness. By streamlining deployment, upgrades, patches and terminations, SoftGrid saves companies tremendous time and money, increases quality of service and provides the flexibility needed for today's dynamic business environment. Softricity has a multiyear Strategic Alliance with Microsoft Corp., is a Microsoft Terminal Services Industry Partner and is a Citrix Business Alliance Premier Member. More information can be found by visiting the Softricity Web site at http://www.softricity.com

Press Contact: Janice Bedsole Bedsole & Company janice@bedsoleandcompany.com 781.789.6108

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