Citizens And Hanover Insurance Companies Select Opsware Automation Software

HostReview.com
Tuesday, March 23, 2004; 12:00 AM

Sunnyvale, CA -- March 23rd, 2004 -- Opsware Inc. (NASDAQ: OPSW), the leading provider of IT automation and utility computing software, today announced that The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies selected the Opsware System to automate their data center operations, improve operating efficiencies, quality and responsiveness. As part of their goal to move to an Organic IT and fully automated model for running IT, Citizens and Hanover will use the Opsware System to automate many of the manual, time-intensive tasks associated with managing complex data center environments.

Following a comprehensive evaluation process that included the industry's leading on-demand and IT automation vendors, Opsware was selected by Citizens and Hanover based on the system's broad automation capabilities, built-in processes and operations knowledge on a wide range of technologies, and vendor-neutral approach that addresses the many technologies that exist within the data center. Opsware's single, integrated platform and consistent, web-based console for all operations and technologies allows administrators the ability to manage and update systems anytime, from any remote location in support of Citizens' and Hanover's 24x7 operation.

According to Citizens and Hanover officials, the relationship with Opsware will enable the company to further improve IT service levels for its property and casualty insurance and affiliated businesses. The company will leverage the Opsware System to realize its organic IT and Adaptive Infrastructure initiative, which includes:

Migration to a single, web-based platform for IT operations
Achievement of a 'zero-defect' IT operational environment
Improved security through automated patch management
Standardization of IT infrastructure through embedded operational best practices
"We have a very well defined strategy for moving towards an Adaptive Infrastructure; it's a multi-year journey with lots of milestones along the way," said Steven Hammond, Program Manager for the Adaptive Infrastructure Initiative at Citizens and Hanover. "Opsware's product provides the tactical capabilities needed to solve today's problems and the strategic capabilities to prepare and align our infrastructure for that future."

"By selecting Opsware's data center automation, Citizens and Hanover have once again shown their leadership in using technology to drive business improvement," said Ben Horowitz, president and CEO of Opsware Inc. "The company's vision of a high-quality, secure, resilient infrastructure will prove beneficial to both companies, their affiliates and customers."

Opsware continues to lead the way in IT automation and utility computing. The growth of the Internet and move to Web-based computing is creating the biggest transformation yet in IT - a shift from client/server computing to low-cost Web-based architectures. With this shift comes a massive explosion of servers and applications in data centers, resulting in massive complexity that renders traditional, manual operations unsustainable. Automation has become a necessity as IT organizations seek to become more cost-competitive, reduce data center complexity and offer higher-value services.

About Citizens and Hanover
Howell, Michigan-based Citizens Insurance Company of America, founded in 1915, and Worcester, Massachusetts-based The Hanover Insurance Company, founded in 1852, offer a range of property and casualty insurance coverages to individuals, families and business through a wide network of independent agents. The Citizens and Hanover Insurance Companies are ranked among the top 30 property and casualty insurers in the country and are members of Allmerica Financial Corporation (NYSE: AFC), a Fortune 500 company.

About Opsware Inc.
Opsware Inc., formerly Loudcloud, is the leading provider of data center automation software, offering a complete solution for enterprises, government agencies and service providers looking to reduce costs and increase IT efficiencies. The Opsware System uniquely combines process automation with built in operations knowledge on numerous technologies. Opsware was the foundation of Loudcloud’s software-powered managed services business and has been proven to lower costs, accelerate change and increase service quality.