REDMOND, Wash. -- April 30, 2001 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire NCompass Labs Inc., the developer of NCompass Resolution. Released in March 2001, NCompass Resolution 4.0 is a Web content management system that enables businesses to quickly and cost-effectively deploy highly dynamic and personalized e-business Web sites. It dramatically reduces the time required to bring these applications to market while offering the scalability needed for the most demanding environments. Microsoft is acquiring NCompass Labs in response to customer demand for Web content management solutions and because it recognizes the essential nature of this technology in any end-to-end e-business solution. As Web sites continue to evolve into strategic business communication tools, there is an increasing need to manage the content that drives that communication. Web content management systems ensure that organizations derive the maximum value possible from their investments in Internet, intranet and extranet Web sites. "Microsoft understands that effectively managing Web content is critical to the success of any e-business initiative and, ultimately, to the profitability of the overall business," said Paul Flessner, senior vice president of the .NET Enterprise Server Division at Microsoft. "By acquiring NCompass Labs' Web content management system and integrating it with the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Servers, we will enable customers to implement complete e-business solutions faster and more effectively than ever." "I am extremely pleased to formalize our long-standing relationship with Microsoft," said Gerri Sinclair, president and CEO of NCompass Labs. "The combination of NCompass Resolution with Microsoft's technical expertise and breadth of complementary offerings will mean faster adoption of Web content management software by organizations of all sizes and types. This acquisition is a tremendous validation of our technology and the skills of our employees. It represents a significant win-win for all our new and existing customers who will benefit from the great combination of offerings from the Microsoft .NET Enterprise Server family."