Armonk, NY & Torrance, CA (October 17, 2003) - Xplor International today announced that IBM will sponsor and participate in the Gartner program at the Xplor 2003 Global Conference & Exhibit. The Gartner full-day program, scheduled for Tuesday, October 28, 2003, is designed to offer professionals in the office document output industry the information they need to identify the best business solutions for the management of their systems. During the program, IBM will be a participant in the vendor panel moderated by Gartner analysts. IBM will provide insight and expertise on the challenges, solutions and best practices offered in the office printing and document management area. Xplor's Global Conference and Exhibit runs from October 26-29, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. Full Conference and Exhibit attendees and one-day (Tuesday) Conference and Exhibit attendees are welcome to attend the Gartner program. More information on the Conference & Exhibit can be found at www.xplor.org/xplor2003. "IBM welcomes this much needed forum as it provides an opportunity to shed light on the high cost of underutilized and undermanaged output that many businesses face," said Michele Morris, Worldwide General Office Segment Executive for IBM Printing Systems. "Prepared with the broadest portfolio of print solutions in the marketplace, we look forward to addressing general office opportunities by discussing methods and benefits of managing workflow and the output environment to drive new business efficiencies." The program will feature numerous sessions lead by Gartner analysts as well as end-user and vendor panel discussions. Among the topics to be included in the program are: · Key Trends on Office Document Output Management · Best Practices for Copier, MFP, Printer Fleet Management · Effective Management Strategies that Deliver the Value of Color Documents, Without All the Cost · Output Outsourcing: Promises and Pitfalls of Turning over Document Output · Demonstration of Gartner's one-of-a-kind MFP Vendor Selector Software Tool "IBM's sponsorship of this program demonstrates its continuing leadership in this area to address the issues which affect Xplor 2003 attendees," said William J. "Bill" McCalpin, General Manager, Xplor International. "The Gartner program offers unique expertise for vendors and end-users to help organizations and individuals meet their business objectives."