Record Number of Corporations Deploying Windows 2000 Before General Availability

SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 17, 2000 — Microsoft Corp. announced today at the launch of Windows® 2000 that over 250 corporations have deployed the product successfully in a variety of mission-critical environments worldwide. Even before the general availability of the product, these businesses – large, small, brick and mortar, and Internet-based – have deployed over 150,000 copies of Microsoft® Windows 2000 Professional on desktops or notebooks and over 9,000 systems running on Windows 2000 Server or Advanced Server in production environments. In fact, customers such as AIMCO, Phoenix Suns-Arizona Diamondbacks, Sears Homelife, Troop Law and Stride Rite Corp. have completely deployed Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server across their organizations. In addition, key customers from around the world, such as General Motors Corp., Merrill Lynch & Company Inc. and Wells Fargo Bank, which have already begun their deployments, have committed to installing Windows 2000 on almost 2 million desktops, notebooks and servers. Finally, major corporations are continuing to see total cost of ownership (TCO) benefits from deploying Windows 2000, saving millions of dollars every year, thanks to the enhanced reliability and manageability of the platform.

“We tested Windows 2000 in literally thousands of different environments, and the feedback has shown overwhelmingly that Windows 2000 is a proven winner for our customers,”
said Steve Ballmer, president and CEO of Microsoft.
“Our thanks go to the many customers who’ve been early adopters and have helped us to build a better product. We couldn’t be more pleased that these companies are already reaping the benefits of Windows 2000.”

“Windows 2000 clearly makes solid improvements over Windows NT® 4.0 in terms of base operating system functions related to reliability, scalability and manageability,”
said Tony Iams, senior analyst, D.H.Brown Associates.
“In addition, Windows 2000 breaks new ground for tightly integrating key layered functions related to Web-based infrastructures, including rich directory, security and application services, all of which help to transform the network into a unified information system.”

“We thoroughly tested Windows 2000 Professional and felt confident that it would stand up in our most mission-critical environments,”
said Eric Craig, manager of Distributed Systems at Continental Airlines.
“Making Reliability a Reality is one of the cornerstones of Continental’s business plan, and Windows 2000 is helping us to do that.”

“We’ve already benefited from our investment in Windows 2000,”
said Bob White, CIO of Stride Rite.

We were able to deploy Windows 2000 Professional and Windows 2000 Server quickly and easily, and management tools such as Active Directory TM provide a powerful way for us to maintain our environment with more security and control than ever before.”

Extensive Windows 2000 Deployments

While hundreds of companies have already begun their deployments, even more have detailed their Windows 2000 migration plans over the next few years. Customers such as The Boeing Company, Compaq Computer Corp., Dell Computer Corp., Eastman Chemical, Ernst & Young, Ford, General Motors, Hewlett-Packard Co., IBM Corp., the Internal Revenue Service, Merrill Lynch, Motorola Inc., Peoplesoft Inc., Prudential Insurance Company of America, Siemens, Texaco Inc. and Wells Fargo have committed to deploying the Windows 2000 family across almost 2 million desktops and servers.

Microsoft is running its enterprise on Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server. In fact, Microsoft is running over 75,000 workstations on Windows 2000 Professional and over 2,000 servers on Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server. In addition, 90 key line-of-business applications across the company are running successfully today on Windows 2000 Advanced Server, including the Microsoft Web site, http://www.microsoft.com/ .

Top Web sites around the world are running on Windows 2000 today, including Adidas, Alaska Airlines, American Stock Exchange, barnesandnoble.com, Bigcharts/Marketwatch, BUY.COM, Dell.com, Fila, Fool.com, Forbes, General Motors, Hendrick motorsports, Hifi, HomeBuilder.com, HomeStore.com, HotBot.com, InfoSpace.com, Marthastewart.com, Microsoft, Monster.com, MSNBC, Nasdaq.com, Nordstrom.com, Olin.com, Realtor.com, Reel.com, Supermarket.com, SupermarketOnline, Ubid, UBL and VirtualBank.com. Dozens of customers are also deploying Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server in various Internet-based scenarios. Companies such as Assetrade.com, Clarus, CommerceOne.com, Commerx, Computerjobs.com, Concur, Farmbid, farms.com, Gmtradexchange.com, i2.com, OnlineOfficeSupplies, Pandesic.com, Pcorder.com, Purchasingcenter.com, Trainingnet.com, Vertical Net, VerticalNet.com and Workz.com are leading the way in building business-to-business e-commerce solutions on the Windows 2000 platform. More information on what customers are saying about Windows 2000 as the platform for the Business Internet is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/guide/server/profiles/dotcoms/ .

“Here at CDW, we’ve been evaluating Windows 2000 Advanced Server for some time now, and we’re thrilled to see the benefits that it has already brought us on our Web site,”
said Jim Shanks, CIO of CDW.
“The enhanced reliability and scalability support our leading edge in servicing the business-to-business marketplace.”

“MVP.com is deploying Windows 2000 Server on our Web servers to take advantage of the product’s improved performance and availability and ensure that our site is available whenever our customers want to shop,”
said John Costello, CEO of MVP.com.
“As our traffic grows exponentially, we will continue to integrate Microsoft technology into the MVP.com site to support our efforts of becoming the premier online sporting goods and outdoor equipment and apparel site.”

“We want to create a great online shopping experience for our customers at Nordstrom.com,”
said Paul Onnen, CTO of Nordstrom.com.
“Windows 2000 Server offers us a highly reliable and scalable architecture that helps us to develop a site that offers our customers a rich and rewarding online shopping experience.”

“We upgraded some RollingStone.com Web servers in January of 2000 and have experienced substantial increases in performance and reliability,”
said Scott Mitchell, CTO of RollingStone.com.
“The upgrade from the Windows NT operating system was fairly straightforward and trouble-free, and the built-in administrative features and services that Windows 2000 provides have enabled RollingStone.com to scale its work force, freeing up time to tackle bigger issues.”

Continued Economic Benefits in Deploying Windows 2000

Major corporations have already significantly benefited from the resources they have invested in Windows 2000. Companies such as Barnesandnoble.com, ADP Brokerage Services Group, Lockheed Martin EIS Co., Baltimore Gas and Electric, Credit Suisse First Boston (UK), and Eastman Chemical Co. have all found that their investment in Windows 2000 will pay itself back in under one year, with median cost reductions in the range of 14 percent, and significant bottom line benefits averaging 8 to 10 million dollars for midsize and large companies.

“After rolling out over 5,000 desktops in the past quarter, we can definitely attest to the cost savings and increased productivity that Windows 2000 Professional provides,”
said Mike Enfield, lead analyst for Desktop Architecture at Motorola.
“Users need less technical support, configuration and problem solving, which frees up our time to roll out the rest of our 100,000 desktops and laptops.”

New Study Proves Windows 2000 Professional Provides Enhanced Reliability

Microsoft engaged National Software Testing Laboratories (NSTL) to measure the reliability of Windows 2000 Professional and compare it to that of Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0, in actual usage environments on production PCs at customer sites, including Charles Schwab and Texaco. Based on the data collected, NSTL concluded that in production environments, the average system uptime of Windows 2000 Professional is 13 times greater than that of Windows 98 and three times greater than that of Windows NT Workstation 4.0. With a mean time to failure of over 72 weeks, Windows 2000 Professional is significantly more reliable than Windows 98 and Windows NT Workstation 4.0.

“Systems reliability, availability and manageability are critical issues for our company and ultimately our customers,”
said Bob Lee, vice president, Intranet and Distributed Technology, Charles Schwab.
“The data collected by NSTL shows that, in our environment, Windows 2000 Professional has a Mean Time to Failure of over 300 calendar days.”

About Windows 2000

Windows 2000 is an ideal platform for the next generation of business computing and addresses the full range of customers’ computing needs, from laptops and desktops to high-end clustered servers. The operating system helps organizations Internet-enable their business with a reliable, manageable infrastructure that is optimized for existing and emerging hardware. More information about Windows 2000 is available at http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/ and http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ .

Windows 2000 Professional is the operating system for desktops and notebooks for all sizes of business. Windows 2000 Server is an entry-level solution for running more reliable and manageable file, print, intranet, communications and infrastructure services. Windows 2000 Advanced Server provides all the features and benefits of Windows 2000 Server and includes additional functionality to enhance availability and scalability of e-commerce and line-of-business applications.

Availability

General availability of Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server and Windows 2000 Advanced Server begins Feb. 17, 2000. Windows 2000 Datacenter Server is expected to be available approximately 120 days later.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software for personal and business computing. The company offers a wide range of products and services designed to empower people through great software – any time, any place and on any device.

Microsoft, Windows, Windows NT and ActiveDirectory are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Microsoft Corp. in the United States and/or other countries.

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on Microsoft, please visit the Microsoft Web page at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/ on Microsoft’s corporate information pages.

Addendum

Companies That Have Already Deployed Windows 2000

ABN AMRO

Adidas

AE Business Solutions

AIMCO

Alaska Airlines

Alief ISD

Alpha Technologies Inc.

Alpine Computers

amdax.com

American Express

American Stock Exchange

Assetrade.com

ATG

AVENTEC Direct

Bank of America

Banyan

Barclay’s Global Investors

Barnesandnoble.com

Bass Computers

Beers Construction Co.

Bell Industries

Bigcharts Marketwatch

Blue Springs School District

BORN Information Services

BUY.COM

Cargill Inc.

Caterpillar

CenterBeam

Central Parking System

Charles Schwab

Chevron

Cisco

City of Louisville

Clarus

Colorado College

Comcast Cable Corp.

CommerceOne.com

Commerx

Compaq

Compaq Services (Enterprise Partner)

CompuCom Systems Inc. NJ

Compuquest Corporate Services

Computerjobs.com

Concur

Conoco

Continental Airlines

Conxion Corp.

cornerdrugstore.com

CorpInfo Services

Credit Suisse First Boston (UK)

Data General

DataReturn

Datatec Systems Inc.

DeCarlo, Paternite and Associate

Decision One

Dell Computer Corp.

Delphi

Digex

Dorsey – Whitney

Dresdner Kleinwort Benson Ltd.

Eastman Chemical

ehome

EnterAct Corp.

ENTEX Information Services MN

Ernst & Young International

Farmbid

farms.com

Fila

Fool.com

Forbes

Ford

Forte Systems

FreddieMac

Fresno County

Fujitsu Ltd.

Futurelink.net

General Motors

Goinvest.com

Gold Technology

Goliath Networks

Grant Prideco

Grapevine Consulting

Halifax Technologies Inc.

Heald College

Hendrick motorsports

Hewlett-Packard

Hifi

Homelife

HotBot.com

Hy Tech

i2.com

IBM Corp.

ICL

IKON Office Solutions

Inacom

Inacom Oakland

InfoSpace.com

Infotec

INS

Intel

Intellinet Corp.

INTERIM Services

Intesa

Iowa Department of Corrections

Keakillim

Kizan KY

KiZAN Technologies

Knight Foundation

Las Vegas Police Department

LCM International

Legasys Legal Systems

Litton/PRC Corporate

Lockheed Martin Corp.

Lucent Technologies

Marthastewart.com

McFarlane Toys

Merrill Lynch

Microage

Micron Electronic Inc.

Microsoft

Monster.com

Motorola

MSNBC

NASA

Nasdaq

Nasdaq.com

NEC Corp.

Nedcor Bank

New Data Strategies

Nextel Communications Inc.

Nordstrom.com

Nortel Networks

Northwest Kayaks Inc.

Now Micro Inc.

Oklahoma State Supreme Court

Olin.com

Omnitech Corporate Solutions

One/Northwest

OnLine Connecting Point

OnlineOfficeSupplies

onlineofficesupply.com

Ontario Provincial Services

Open University

Orbital Sciences Corp.

Pandesic

Pcorder.com

Peoplesoft Inc.

personable.com

Peters and Associates

Philip Morris

Phoenix Suns-Arizona Diamondbacks

Plant Equipment Inc.

Plasticsnet.com

Procter & Gamble

Prudential

Publichost.com

Purchasingcenter.com

Quickstart Technologies

Qwest

Rainier Technology

Rayovac

realmed.com

Realtor.com

Reel.com

Reuters

River Tech

Robert Half International

San Francisco International Airport

Sarcom

Seattle Eye, M.D.s

Seattle Mariners

Seeuthere.com

Shell

Siemens

Singapore Police Force

SoftNet Systems

Software Services Corp.

Software Spectrum Co.

Sprint

Stride Rite

SupermarketOnline

Tate Consulting

Tekshop Inc.

Telus

Texaco

The Boeing Co.

The Plaza Group

The Polaris Group

the weddinglist.com

Thinktanks Worldwide.com

TMG

Trainingnet.com

Travelers Insurance

Troop, Steuber, Pasich, Reddick & Tobey LLP

TRW

tunes.com

Ubid

UBL

Unisys VA

United Defense

University of Colorado

University of Leicester

University of Missouri

University of Texas

University of Wisconsin

Van Andel Institute

Verio.com

Vertical Net

Virtual Bank

Voicestream

Wang Global

Warburg Dillon Read

Warner Bros.

Wells Fargo Bank

WestPac

WFofR

Wilmer, Cutler and Pickering

Workz.com

WorldCom Advanced Networks

Xerox connect GA

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