IBM to Resell Sphera Web Hosting Automation Solution Sphera Corp.

Companies sign reseller agreement to deliver Web hosting solution to hosting providers, resellers and carriers

HostReview.com
Tuesday, March 18, 2003; 12:00 AM

NEWTON, MA -March 18, 2003 - Sphera Corporation, the leading global developer of Web hosting automation and management software today announced that IBM has become a reseller of Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite™, a comprehensive Web hosting automation and management solution. IBM will offer hosting providers, resellers and carriers the ability to buy Sphera's automated hosting solution for Linux and Windows on an IBM eServer xSeries or BladeCenter system.

Already, customers are adopting this powerful solution. Verio Europe, the European division of the Verio Group and one of the world's largest operators of Web sites for businesses, is offering hosting resellers in Europe a compelling solution powered by Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite and the IBM eSeries xServer platform.

"We are constantly looking for killer applications to provide serious value-add to our hosting reseller community," said Moos Bulder, president of Verio Europe. "Traditional hosting resellers, like Web design agencies and new media companies, are looking for ways to increase their revenues by offering hosting services on dedicated servers. The bundling of HostingBusiness Suite with Verio's dedicated servers (RapidRollout) running on xSeries systems has resulted in a platform with a powerful control panel for the management and automation of our resellers' hosting businesses."

IBM's eServer xSeries and BladeCenter products are platforms designed to solve specific e-business problems. Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite is designed to meet customer demands for cost-effective business solutions that reduce time-to-market, increase operational efficiencies and provide value-added features and functionality that help them grow their business. IBM will resell Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite as a Web hosting automation and management software, or with its xSeries or BladeCenter products for the operation and management of Web hosting businesses.

"By working with Sphera, we are able to offer our customers a robust and secure hosting solution," said, Juhi Jotwani, Director, IBM xSeries servers. "We are finding that customers like Verio who are using this solution on our Intel-based servers are seeking a powerful hosting automation solution."

According to Adi Pundak-Mintz, acting CEO at Sphera, "Sphera is committed to accelerating the growth of the hosting industry by delivering enterprise strength hosting automation solutions. In today's market, the need to attract and retain customers is more crucial than ever before. Helping customers reduce the complexity associated with Web hosting, while also providing the ability to realize an immediate increase in profit margins and return on investment, are significant elements of our relationship with IBM."

Sphera has achieved IBM Advanced Partner status, a position reserved for developers worldwide that are making significant commitments to IBM technologies. Sphera and IBM will be showcasing their Web hosting solutions at Supercomm, June 1-5 in Atlanta, GA, and at on-going presentations at IBM's Center of Excellence in Kirkland, Washington and La Gaude, France.

About Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite
Sphera's HostingBusiness Suite is a comprehensive Web hosting and management solution including HostingDirector® and ResellerDirector. HostingDirector is an end-to-end Web hosting solution for centralized management and automated administration of shared and dedicated servers. HostingDirector streamlines the complete hosting business cycle and delivers dramatic cost savings by automating and simplifying Web hosting operations, reducing IT overheard and support costs, and optimizing server hardware utilization. ResellerDirector is an innovative platform for hosting providers and their resellers to expand their business without increasing overhead by efficiently managing infrastructure and empowering resellers and end-users with direct control tools for administrative tasks. ResellerDirector provides business support to run all aspects of operations from account creation, provisioning, through inventory and account management to billing and ticketing. Sphera's market-proven solution drives new customer acquisitions, increases existing customer loyalty, and meets and exceeds customer needs for value-added features and services.

About Sphera
Sphera Corporation is a global leader in Web hosting automation and management software designed for improving hosting provider and reseller profitability. Today, more than 100 growth-oriented hosting providers, network providers and resellers around the world rely on Sphera's modular HostingBusiness Suite product family to address the Web hosting needs of SMB customers. Designed around the value propositions of service differentiation, operational efficiencies and enhanced customer satisfaction, Sphera's best-in-class, enterprise-strength offering which includes HostingDirector and ResellerDirector, delivers immediate ROI by generating new revenue opportunities, slashing costs and winning customer loyalty. HostingBusiness Suite is the industry's most complete, flexible, out-of-the-box business platform for centralized, end-to-end management and administration of today's hybrid Linux and Windows hosting environments. Headquartered in Newton, MA, with EMEA offices in London, Sphera is backed by well-established global venture capital firms including JVP, TLcom Capital Partners, Gemini Israel Funds, Vision Capital, Bank of America, and Reuters Greenhouse Fund.

For more information: www.sphera.com 1-866-SPHERA-1