SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--Jul 3, 2002 - IBM today announced that more than 50 application providers and system integrators have adopted the latest version of IBM's Content Manager software. The new software enables companies across all industries to digitize and manage all forms of business information inan effort to increase productivity and make their operations more cost-effective. As organizations worldwide face growing amounts of data -- including images, text, emails, audio and video -- the ability to capture this information in digital format allows them to become more efficient, respond faster to suppliers and customers, tap into new markets, and ultimately increase profits. With today's announcement, more than 50 Business Partners from the finance, human resources, manufacturing, retail, insurance and media and entertainment industries are supporting IBM Content Manager version 8. IBM Content Manager software allows Business Partners to quickly deploy applications and access the broadest range of information, no matter where it resides. Designed to be fully open and exploit new programming interfaces, the software integrates seamlessly with existing business applications, making it even easier for Business Partners to help customers reach maximum productivity with their solutions. Research estimates that 85 percent of business information resides in unstructured formats and only five percent of that information is digitized. The healthcare insurance industry, for example, spends an estimated $250 billion or more annually nationwide on the labor-intensive, paper-based processing of healthcare documents. Implementing an IBM e-infrastructure Content Manager solution can help companies slash paper costs, save valuable space and provide better customer service. Content Management Business Partners bring their application development and systems integration experience together with IBM's industry-wide expertise, services and global sales and marketing reach to create a powerful resource for customers. Analysts Confirm Value According to a recent report from industry analyst firm OVUM, IBM delivers the industry's most comprehensive enterprise content management solution which is strengthened by its business partner support. In addition, a new report from industry analyst firm Hurwitz Group shows support for IBM's partnership strategy, noting that IBM has always done a good job of ensuring proper integration and use of partner solutions within its framework. The report states that Content Manager version 8 continues IBM's excellent partner relationship effort, given the level of support from partners across a number of vertical markets. Business partner support for IBM Content Manager includes: PeopleSoft provides software that enables organizations to reduce costs and increase productivity through real-time collaboration with their customers, suppliers, and employees. "IBM's content management solution complements our portal offering," said Peter Gassner, vice president and general manager of PeopleSoft's Technology division. "The joint strengths of these two products will allow us to address the needs of our more demanding customers." Vignette is a leading provider of content management applications used by the most successful organizations in the world to interact online with their customers, employees and partners. "Content management remains a high IT priority and will increase in importance as companies continue to expose more complex information to their customers, employees, suppliers and partners," said Dave Shirk, senior vice president of products at Vignette. "When coupled, IBM's impressive information storage legacy and Vignette's unique expertise in managing content through its entire lifecycle empower companies to gain control of existing content and manage it so that it can be easily accessed and used. The result of the combined technologies is a more robust and relevant online experience for all end users." Ancept, Inc. provides delivery enterprise-class digital asset management solutions. "Until recently, rich media wasn't considered an essential category of content to be included in an Enterprise Content Management (ECM) strategy," said Josh Bruhin, VP Business Development at Ancept. "Now, many organizations recognize that rich media represents some of their most valuable content. Content Manager is one of very few options for companies who want to implement a single platform to support their ECM strategy, including rich media. The arrival of version 8 of Content Manager signifies very loudly and clearly IBM's dedication to this category." IKON-Image Systems Solutions is an e-business enabling company specializing in turnkey and ASP delivered image, workflow and document management solutions that allow instant access to documents and files. "Selecting an Enterprise Content Management infrastructure is an important step before deploying content-enabled e-business solutions," said Mike Cook, Director of Sales at IKON-Image Systems Solutions. "Content Manager version 8 was designed to offer powerful new features including the ability to connect using a browser, out of the box." SYSCOM provides end-to-end IT solutions including consulting, systems development and integration, design, testing and back-end support. "Since 1989, SYSCOM has worked with IBM's Content Management technology delivering workflow solutions that marry business processes, business data and content," said Vicki Wysokinski, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Syscom. "No company has a richer history of storing, managing and accessing information resources than IBM. By working with IBM, SYSCOM can bring that enormous heritage to the Web in a very powerful, personalized way." IPD (Image Process Design), a software development and integration company specializing in business process management solutions for insurance companies, is integrating Content Manager version 8 with its content management and workflow software application called Ultera. "IPD's latest version of Ultera will fully leverage the new functionality and features offered in IBM's Content Manager Version 8," said Mark Brazeau, IPD's senior vice president. "These new tools will be leveraged in Ultera to provide user functionality specifically required by insurance companies. Ultera will deliver this added functionality to end users in a browser-based paradigm." Additional Business Partners supporting Content Manager version 8 include: CheckFree i-Solutions, Aureus Solutions, Cardiff Software, edocs, en Technologies, Green Pasture Software Inc., Kofax, MBS Technologies Inc., Presence Online, Silicon Plains Technologies, Virage, Inc., Lowry Technologies, Image Architects and Yojna Inc. The new Content Manager software is receiving support internationally, from companies including e-ASL, EC-Founder Company, Gambit Trade, ICO Hong Kong Limited, Kets Ltd. Company, Synergy Plus Pty Ltd. and UniversalMesh Technology Corporation.