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SupportSoft Unveils New Real-Time Service Management Software Platform

Posted on: Monday, 20 October 2003, 06:00 CDT

ORLANDO, Fla., Gartner ITxpo, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- SupportSoft, Inc. , a leading provider of real-time service management software, announced today the launch of the SupportSoft Real-Time Service Management (RTSM) software platform. The SupportSoft RTSM platform, serves as the technology foundation for all of SupportSoft's products, helping enterprises operating in real-time avoid or resolve technology-related problems by automating technical support, customer service and IT infrastructure management.

The comprehensive software offering allows problems to be automatically put into context, their cause to be diagnosed and, once determined, resolved -- or even avoided altogether -- in real time. The result is the ability to reduce support costs, while increasing customer satisfaction, employee productivity and the overall performance of the real-time enterprise.

With enterprises in every business segment relying on technologies more than ever to increase the efficiency of their business processes, down time attributable to poor performing IT assets and processes is the enemy of the real-time enterprise. SupportSoft's Real-Time Service Management software platform incorporates 6 patented technologies and related systems that are designed to help technology and the business processes they enable remain operational and, at the same time, reduce operating costs, streamline the flow of information and improve management decision-making.

"Lockheed Martin employees demand the utmost in technical care to ensure that they are gaining everything they can from the technology critical to their day-to-day performance," said Kim Sawyer, Lockheed Martin Vice President of Computing and Network Services. "Support automation software provides the ability to respond in real-time to their needs. Whether it's helping to avoid problems with technology altogether, providing knowledge-enabled self-service or adding automated intelligence when assisted service is needed, Lockheed Martin's goal is to deliver a better user experience and a higher return on our investment in high-quality service and support."

According to Bob Igou of Gartner Dataquest, an IT research firm, "CIOs and IT Management must recognize that the highest value of e-support is its contribution to increased IT infrastructure availability, which sustains the real-time enterprise, and make appropriate investments in the use of e-support and support automation solutions."(1)

For companies with ineffective service and support management, the direct and indirect costs are staggering. For example, within the enterprise, 80% of the total ownership cost (TCO) of a mobile personal computer is related to its service and support requirements.(2) And 70% of home broadband consumers have called their service providers to resolve a problem with their high-speed connection within the last 6 months.(3)

In association with the launch of the Real-Time Service Management software platform, SupportSoft also announced 4 enhanced and new products that benefit from the platform's capabilities:

-- SupportSoft Knowledge Center Suite(TM) facilitates knowledge-enabled

self-service and assisted service. It is designed to automate service

and support knowledge creation, publishing, management and access. In

doing so, it can provide users with fast, personalized answers, whether

the question is a simple "how to" query or a question that may benefit

from a "one-click" automated software-fix using SupportSoft's unique

SupportAction(TM) technology.

-- SupportSoft LiveAssist(TM) is designed to provide call centers and IT

help desk organizations with the ability to service customers and

employees online with a scaleable real-time, online chat solution.

Customers can simply click a button on a company's Web site to engage a

service or support representative without the need to download software

plug-ins or wait in a phone queue. Moreover, service representatives

can handle multiple customer sessions at one time to maximize their

productivity.

-- SupportSoft RemoteAssist(TM) allows service and support representatives

to provide faster, more effective resolution to user problems by taking

control of the user's system remotely via the Web. It's ideal for

real-time management of computing systems using the Microsoft Windows

operating environment without the requirement for complex software

installation or re-booting the user's computer which can be typical

with many remote control software solutions. SupportSoft RemoteAssist

provides for privacy, requiring a user's permission for a service

representative to remotely manage their computing system.

-- SupportSoft Auto Discovery and Metering(TM) permits IT organizations to

discover, inventory and meter a company's hardware and software assets

in real time with one solution -- versus the typical approach of using

multiple tools from different vendors. The result can be faster asset

identification, easier access to real-time asset information and

optimization of a company's IT assets.

Because all of SupportSoft's solutions were developed in conjunction with the company's Real-Time Service Management software platform, they easily integrate with each other, as well as provide a growth path into one of SupportSoft's comprehensive suites for support and service automation that can scale to support even millions of users. Each product also benefits from SupportSoft's new ClearView Analytics(TM) system that provides pre-configured management reporting for real-time insights into a company's support environment to optimize service delivery.

"The potential of the real-time enterprise can be enhanced with SupportSoft's Real-Time Service Management platform, designed to ensure that the technology that powers it is always working as required," said Radha Basu, Chairman and CEO, SupportSoft. "Our latest product introductions represent new ways to accelerate business performance by making support and service automation integral to the processes that are central to the success of the real-time enterprise."

SupportSoft will unveil the Real-Time Service Management platform October 20th at Gartner ITxpo. Demonstrations can be seen at booth #533.

About SupportSoft

SupportSoft is a leading provider of real-time service management software designed to accelerate and automate enterprise technical support, customer service and IT infrastructure management. Enterprises that have purchased our products and services include: ADP, Bank of America, Cisco Systems, IBM, Procter & Gamble, Siebel Systems, Sony and Thomson Financial. Managed service providers that have purchased our products to provide outsourced services to enterprises include: Accenture, ACS, CompuCom, CSC, IBM Global Services and Perot Systems. Digital service providers incorporating our software into their service offerings include: Adelphia Communications, BellSouth, Charter Communications, Comcast Communications, Cox Communications, SBC Communications and TeliaSonera. For more information, please visit http://www.supportsoft.com/.

About Lockheed Martin (LMT: NYSE)

Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, Lockheed Martin employs about 125,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture and integration of advanced technology systems, products and services. The Corporation reported 2002 sales of $26.6 billion. For more information, please visit http://www.lockheedmartin.com/

(1) Gartner Dataquest, "Customers Are Missing the Value that E-Support

Brings to RTE," June 2003

(2) Gartner, Inc., "TCO Comparison of Desktops vs. Notebooks," September,

2003

(3) Zanthus, "Broadband Service Delivery. Is Speed Killing Customer

Satisfaction?" September 2003

This press release contains forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, statements relating to the availability of and anticipated features and benefits of the new and enhanced products, the trend of reliance on technology and estimated direct and indirect costs for companies with ineffective service and support management.. These forward-looking statements may be identified by use of the terms "allows,"" will,""designed to,""help,""can,""may,""to,""facilitates" and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in these forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to the technical challenges and time and effort to deploy the solution, customer acceptance of the product, the rapid pace of technological change, the impact of continued economic downturns in either domestic or foreign markets, the impact of competition and other sales, marketing, and development challenges. A discussion of the risks and uncertainties that could affect SupportSoft are more fully set forth in the risks factors detailed from time to time in our SEC reports. Statements included in this release are based upon information known to SupportSoft as of the date of this release, and SupportSoft assumes no obligation to update information contained in this press release.

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