EV1 and The Planet Merge

Combined Company Will Create Industry-Leading Dedicated Web Hosting Company

HostReview.com
Monday, May 8, 2006; 01:36 AM

Everyones Internet (EV1) and The Planet, two of the world's largest leading providers of dedicated hosting, announced that they have merged. The new entity will create the largest dedicated hosting provider in the market and will further develop both the EV1 and The Planet brands, supporting over 20,000 clients and 50,000 dedicated servers. The merger follows controlling investments recently made in each by the leading private equity firm GI Partners.

The Planet and EV1Servers are the fourth and seventh-largest hosting providers in the world, according to Netcraft's Hosting Provider Switching Analysis, and the top two dedicated hosting specialists.

EV1, based in Houston, Texas, provides dedicated internet technology services to small and mid-sized companies, including sole proprietors and technically sophisticated individuals.

The Planet, based in Dallas, Texas, delivers enterprise-level hosting solutions that are readily available, affordable, and scalable. The Planet offers dedicated servers, co-location, Internet access, email and business continuance.

The clients of EV1 and The Planet will continue to enjoy the same industry-leading products and services they have come to expect.

"The merger is exciting news for all stakeholders," said Robert Marsh, Headsurfer and founder of EV1. "It will be seamless from a client perspective and will result in a host of benefits for our clients."

"The opportunities created by this merger are extremely exciting, and we look forward to combining our resources for the benefit of our clients," commented Peter Pathos, founder of The Planet.

"We are very pleased to have this opportunity to invest in further building upon the strong foundations at EV1 and The Planet," said Howard Park, Managing Director of GI Partners. "Our aim is to provide the additional access to financial and other resources that will enable the combined company to continue growing profitably while further improving service levels, expanding product offerings, and enhancing the total client experience."

GI Partners was founded in 2001 and has offices in Menlo Park, California, and London, England. The firm currently has $1.4 billion of capital under management. It makes control-oriented investments in recurring revenue and asset-intensive businesses in the United States and Western Europe. GI Partners typically pursues transactions of $100-500 million in enterprise value where $50-200 million of initial equity can be invested.