PlaceWare Conference Center Named Best Corporate Learning Technology Solution by Software Industry

REDMOND, Wash., May 8, 2003 — PlaceWare Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp. and a Real-Time Collaboration Solutions provider, was awarded top honors at the Software & Information Industry Association’s (SIIA’s) 18th annual Codie Awards, which honors the best in the software and information industry.

“The 18th annual Codie Awards continues our tradition of celebrating the best of the best in the software and information industry,” said Ken Wasch, president of SIIA. “The Codies are the only peer-reviewed awards program of its kind in this constantly changing industry. Being a finalist is a solid achievement, and winning a Codie Award is a high honor.”

“SIIA congratulates PlaceWare Inc. on winning a 2003 Codie Award in a category with first-rate competition,” Wasch said.

PlaceWare credits its vast customer base of more than 3,300 corporations and organizations for their strict standards, as well as its loyal employees for their passion to deliver reliable, scalable, flexible and easy-to-use training, meeting and presenting solutions.

“Univar saves money on travel and increases productivity because people spend less time away from the office, while employees love PlaceWare because they can take a class from anywhere, not have to get on a plane, and it’s so easy to use,” said Ron Miazga, director of Learning & Intranet Services, Univar.

PlaceWare allows anyone with a computer and a phone to connect with groups ranging from a few individuals to a few thousand from locations around the world via the Internet at a fraction of the cost of business travel. Web conferencing is quick and easy, from presenting and demonstrating any piece of software to touring Web sites, conducting virtual polls and even interacting with an audience to run a question-and-answer session.

“Virtual and blended learning strategies can improve the quality of corporate learning by allowing companies to reuse their most-effective training material,” said Robert Mahowald, research manager for collaborative computing at IDC.

“Learning that requires interaction, sharing of material and discussion of ideas, opinions, etc., is effective in virtual or synchronous mode,” said Claire Schooley, senior industry analyst, Forrester Research. “The key will be the right tool for the right learning task — it must be 99 percent dependable, just like telephone services.”

About PlaceWare Inc.

PlaceWare Inc., a Microsoft company, is a leader in real-time, “carrier class,” multimedia platform and application services for Web-based communication and collaboration both inside and outside corporate firewalls. Enterprise customers prefer PlaceWare Web conferencing because of its scalable, reliable and secure browser-based architecture, which is based on technology developed and tested at Xerox PARC. The company offers unparalleled performance for all types of Web-based communications, from large-scale meetings with up to thousands of attendees through small collaborative meetings, presentations and e-learning sessions. Founded in 1996, PlaceWare Inc. has already attracted more than 3,500 leading organizations that see Web conferencing as a natural evolution in helping their businesses compete more effectively in the global marketplace. PlaceWare Inc. helps companies host thousands of simultaneous Web meetings simply using Web browsers and telephones. For more information about PlaceWare Inc. visit http://www.placeware.com/ or call (888) 526-6170 to reach the company’s Mountain View, Calif., headquarters.

PlaceWare Inc. and the PlaceWare logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of PlaceWare Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. PlaceWare Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft Corp.

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