Microsoft Breaks Ground on World-Class Technology Center in Chicago

CHICAGO, May 14, 2001 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has begun construction on its newest Microsoft® Technology Center (MTC). The MTC-Chicago will offer businesses the advantage of having a world-class development environment complete with state-of-the-art facilities where companies big and small can build or enhance their existing e-commerce solutions. In addition, the MTC-Chicago has a staff of dedicated technology experts from Microsoft Consulting Services and includes a wide array of leading-edge hardware, software and services from industry leaders including Dell Computer Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp. The MTC enables customers to learn best practices and to capitalize on the Microsoft .NET Platform and Web services. Microsoft recently opened MTCs in Boston; Austin, Texas; Toronto; and Silicon Valley.

“The selection of Chicago as the site for one of the five MTCs in North America demonstrates Microsoft’s commitment to businesses in Chicago and throughout the Midwest,”
said Adam Hecktman, who manages the Microsoft Technology Center-Chicago.
“In a time of economic uncertainty, Microsoft is stepping up its efforts to create an environment where companies can quickly and affordably architect, develop and test their solutions in a real-world environment, while preserving capital and accelerating their time to market.”

The MTC-Chicago will open to customers this summer and will offer custom consulting engagements including .NET solutions acceleration, scalability testing, capacity planning, application integration, security and architecture assessments, migrations, and a variety of other development services. Microsoft Technology Centers worldwide provide customers with a complete development environment in which to accelerate the design and deployment of robust e-business solutions utilizing Microsoft technologies and those of selected technology partners.

“We are providing companies with a means to build an e-commerce solution and test it in a real-world environment using world-class hardware and software,”
said Hecktman.
“Not only does this allow them to see the solution at work, but it also drastically reduces risk when it comes time to implement the solution on their live sites.”

Microsoft in Illinois

Microsoft established its presence in Illinois in 1985 and now employs nearly 300 sales, marketing and consulting professionals in three offices throughout the state.

With more than $450 million in annual revenue, the Midwest district (Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin) has a significant impact on the region’s business community and maintains such customers as the Tribune Company, Arthur Andersen & Co., Motorola Inc., Sears, Roebuck & Co., Caterpillar Inc. and the State of Illinois.

About Microsoft Technology Centers

The Microsoft Technology Center-Chicago is Microsoft’s primary customer development and test facility in the Midwest. Located at 77 West Wacker Drive, Suite 2300, it is the premier development, testing and training center for leading companies in the Chicago area and beyond. Through people, products and technology partners, the MTC-Chicago will provide infrastructure, support, expertise and a
“best practices”
development philosophy to help startups and established enterprises develop, test and tune their e-commerce applications and architectures to achieve unsurpassed performance through Microsoft .NET solutions. Additional information on MTCs worldwide can be found at http://www.microsoft.com/business/ecommerce/techcenter/default.asp .

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq
“MSFT”
) is the worldwide leader in software, services and Internet technologies 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 is a registered trademark 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.

For complete information on today’s announcement, visit the MTC virtual press room at http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/events/mtc/default.asp .

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.

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