VerdiSoft Unveils Company and Technology to Make Devices Work

HANNOVER / PALO ALTO (California) 12. 3. 2002 (PROTEXT/ots) -Industry Pioneer Marco Boerries, Creator of StarOffice Software,Develops Global Infrastructure Software to Benefit ServiceProviders, Manufacturers and End- Users

VerdiSoft Corporation, (www.verdisoft.com) a new globalsoftware infrastructure company, today gave a preview of itstechnology - the VerdiSoft CrossPoint Server - which is designedto make devices work. VerdiSoft is led by founder and CEO MarcoBoerries, the creator of the popular StarOffice Suite, which wassold to Sun Microsystems in 1999. Boerries is joined by aseasoned executive team of long-time colleagues in his quest tomake devices live up to their potential. VerdiSoft founded inAugust 2001, has offices in Palo Alto, CA and Hamburg, Germany.Current State of Devices Conservative estimates place the globalnumber of computing products and devices, excluding PCs andservers, at more than one billion - and this number is growingdaily. These devices can be found in homes, offices, factories,out in the field and on the road being used for communicationsbusiness, entertainment and household purposes. VerdiSoft targetsthree categories: personal devices like cell phones, PDAs, MP3players, digital home entertainment hubs and digital camcorders;controller devices, such as DSL routers, alarm systems and homeappliances; and vertical solution devices, including self-service terminals such as ATMs and ticketing machines and machinecontrollers used in manufacturing. All of these devices arecomprised of CPUs, memory, storage, device drivers, an operatingsystem and applications. Not surprisingly, they present commonproblems that need to be addressed by device manufacturers andservice providers alike. To successfully deploy, service andmaintain devices, they must be able to update them and addfunctionality after they're sold - extending the device lifetime.Another issue is that data must be delivered reliably, regardlessof device location, and user-specific and location- specificpreferences must be maintained. "I formed VerdiSoft when I lookedat the way devices currently operate and realized that today,they just don't work properly. All devices should be reliable,personalized and easy to use," said Marco Boerries, VerdiSoftfounder and CEO. "Building a software infrastructure that willtruly enable devices to work as they should is one of the greatinfrastructure plays left. Microsoft won with Windows, Oraclewith its database and Sun has Java and J2EE. In the same way,VerdiSoft will win with a software infrastructure that makesdevices work." VerdiSoft Deployment Scenarios The VerdiSoftCrossPoint Server allows service providers and devicemanufacturers to address three main trends driving the devicemarket today: mobility, personalization and telemetry. Mobility:Once carriers deploy the VerdiSoft CrossPoint Server, a cellphone user's preferences and settings will be unaffected if shechanges phones or roams into another carrier's network. The phonewill simply work, requiring no action on behalf of the end-user.She will also be able to access completely synchronized data onall of her mobile devices, enabling work and communication tocontinue uninterrupted. Personalization: In the case of a DSLrouter, an end-user buys a device and wants a firewall with VPN,parental controls and virus protection. Today, he has toconfigure and update the device himself. With the VerdiSoftsolution, the service provider can configure it to hisspecifications and then manage the ongoing download andinstallation of software, freeing up the end-user from acting asa 'one-man' systems administration team. Telemetry: Today amanufacturer sells a dishwasher knowing that in seven to tenyears it will need to be replaced. Tomorrow, with the growingtrend towards telemetry, the appliance will be connected to aVerdiSoft CrossPoint Server and the manufacturer will be able tomonitor the appliance's performance, preempt maintenance needsand offer upgrades such as changing the length of the wash cycleor the water temperature to accommodate advances in detergenttechnology products. The end-user's positive experience with thebrand not only increases loyalty but also the likelihood ofrepeat business. The Verdisoft CrossPoint Server enables serviceproviders and device manufacturers to build the solutions thattheir customers want. The software allows service providers toincrease revenue from existing services, sell additional servicesand grow their customer base, while reducing customer churn.Device manufacturers can more easily sell additional andreplacement devices, and can start to move from a device saleinto a service sale, with the promise that the device can bemaintained and upgraded while it is deployed. VerdiSoftTechnology The Verdisoft CrossPoint Server leverages thecommonalities between devices to address their common problems.The architecture, which is based on open standards, isindependent of device, protocol, and operating system, andscalable to millions of clients. Each device's DNA - its uniquecombination of hardware, software and user preferences - istracked and controlled by the Verdisoft CrossPoint Server's threemain modules. The Software Component Management module controlsinstallation of device drivers, operating system files andapplication software. Data Delivery and Management deliverspersonalized data and content, while the Preference/Configuration Management module maintains settings for anindividual device and across multiple devices. Open, XML and Javainterfaces provide integration to existing systems and datasources, while the server provides client support for homegrownoperating systems, Palm OS, J2ME, WindowsCE, Linux and VxWorks.Market Opportunity There are already over a billion devices inthe VerdiSoft target market, from cell phones to high-speedInternet access devices to banking terminals. Factor in newdevices such as telemetry-enabled appliances, home gateways andentertainment hubs, and the VerdiSoft market will grow into thebillions over the next five years. "No-one can deny that we aregoing after a huge growing market as our world becomes more andmore digital," said Boerries. "Therefore we will not only want,but rather, demand that devices keep pace. They simply mustperform better. VerdiSoft is working to make sure devices cancontinue to progress by delivering on the promise of mobility,reliability and personalization," said Boerries. Marco Boerriesand Management Team As VP and General Manager of Webtop andApplication Software at Sun Microsystems, Boerries wasresponsible for the StarOffice Suite - which served more than 14million users - the Solaris Common Desktop Environment, Netscapefor Solaris, and OpenOffice.org. Additionally, Boerries acted asSun's unofficial abassador to the open source community. Boerriesfounded Star Division at the age of 16, spinning-off Star Financeand the StarMoney product in 1996, before selling the StarOfficesuite to Sun Microsystems in 1999. Star Finanz was sold toSparkassen Organisation in 2001. Key members of the VerdiSoftexecutive team have spent many years working with Boerries. JonMcCormack, CTO at VerdiSoft, has intermittently worked withBoerries for the past seven years. Most recently he was VP ofEngineering at Liberate Technologies. Andreas Meyer, VP ofEngineering, has worked with Boerries since 1989. Torsten Both,newly appointed VP and general manager for Europe, Middle Eastand Africa, started work with Boerries in 1990. For the past fouryears Both was President of Star Finanz. The VerdiSoft CrossPointServer will ship an early access product to a select base ofcustomers and device manufacturers in summer of 2002 and it willenter general availability by year-end. For more information,please visit www.verdisoft.com. About VerdiSoft: VerdiSoftCorporation is a new global provider of infrastructure softwarethat makes devices work. The company offers its VerdiSoftCrossPoint Server, along with related consulting, education andsupport services. Headquartered in Palo Alto, California, andwith offices in Hamburg, Germany, VerdiSoft provides the softwarecomponent management, data delivery/management andpreferences/configuration management needed to optimize personaldevices, controller devices and vertical solution devices.VerdiSoft enables service providers and device manufacturers tobuild the solutions that their customers need. Note: VerdiSoftand VerdiSoft CrossPoint Server are trademarks of VerdiSoftCorporation. All other brand names are trademarks of theirrespective owners. Press contact: Spark PR 87 McLea Court SF, CA94103 Alice Chan Heckman, Partner eMail: alice@sparkpr.com Tel:001-415-962 8200 x 246

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