Sonic Software and GridNode partnered under IDA’s iLIUP initiative to deliver total business integration solutions for manufacturing enterprises Companies Also Announce Their First Customer Win SINGAPORE - August 16, 2002 The world’s fastest growing Internet middleware company, Sonic Software, is building on the strength of its existing relationship with GridNode, a global software company and leading provider of eXtended enterprise Businessware (XB), to expand their efforts to help high technology manufacturing companies use standards-based messaging technology, the Java Message Service (JMS), to achieve total business integration with both their enterprise systems and trading partners. The collaboration was formed through the Infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Program (iLIUP), which Sonic, a business unit of Progress Software in the Asia-Pacific region, partnered with IDA since last October. The iLIUP partnership enables Sonic to provide their technology to local Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) to build, deploy and manage powerful, enterprise-class business software across the region and worldwide. Sonic’s award-winning SonicXQ®, a standards-based Enterprise Application Integration (EAI) middleware which employs technology like Web Services and J2EE Connector Architecture (JCA), was utilized to tap onto GridNode’s GridTalk, an XML-based B2Bi software compliant to the RosettaNet standards, to allow enterprises to exchange business documents, automate workflows and synchronize shared data directly with those of their trading partners in the supply chain over the Internet in real-time. The partnership has proven to be an instant success when they won their first customer, Ryder-Ascent Logistics, who was looking to set up seamless business integration across the supply chain to exchange real-time information in order to serve its customers better. “Ryder-Ascent is very advanced in the use of Internet technologies and related tools and they understand the need to make their supply chain more nimble and integrated,” said Gerald Lim, iLIUP & Alliance Manager of Progress Software. “And we’re excited to offer them one of the most powerful, integrated and cost effective peer-to-peer solutions that we have developed with GridNode under IDA’s iLIUP. We believe that iLIUP is a win-win partnership for all of us, and Sonic is honored and committed to be a part of the growing and vibrant infocomm industry in Singapore.” “The iLIUP partnership not only benefits Sonic and us, but it offers Ryder-Ascent a solution that will help them improve productivity, reduce start-up costs, provide greater supply chain efficiency and broader network of supply chain partners,” said Leow Chee Tong, Managing Director of Gridnode. “The solution will also enable them to respond to production cycles in less time, making their entire supply chain management leaner and more responsive.” In addition, Ryder-Ascent stands to gain from the collaborated technology as they can help their customers save cost by reducing the amount of inventory they are required to have on a standby basis, added Leow Chee Tong. Another benefit for Ryder-Ascent will be that as the solution is developed on open standards, such as XML and RosettaNet, it will enable business integration among its trading partners seamlessly. The project will be implemented soon, and will take one month to complete. “We are happy with the partnership of Sonic and GridNode. It helps to reinforce our efforts in positioning Singapore as a conducive environment to foster infocomm collaboration which can speed up the pace of local innovation and increase market presence,” said Ms Seah Lye Khim, Deputy Director, Software and Services Industry Development Division, Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore. “The project is an excellent example of a win-win partnership as it is challenging to get two different applications, two different solution systems, and two different enterprises to talk to each other. However, we are able to do just that with the great partnership that we have with Gridnode,” said Progress' spokesperson, Gerald Lim. About iLIUP – Innovation Through Partnership The Infocomm Local Industry Upgrading Programme (iLIUP) promotes strategic, mutually beneficial partnerships between Singapore enterprises and multinational corporations (MNCs). Through the iLIUP partnership, Singapore enterprises can gain exposure to cutting-edge technologies and tap on an established global network of technical expertise that will reduce development costs and time-to-market for their products. Singapore enterprises are also able to leverage on the MNCs' international marketing and distribution expertise, thereby enhancing their capabilities and penetrate global infocomm markets. On the other hand, MNCs can increase their market share by adapting their technologies for locally developed products and services. They are also able to benefit from the Singapore enterprises' vertical domain expertise. With its IT-savvy talents and IT-ready infrastructure, Singapore is an ideal test bed and launch pad to Asia. For more information, please email to iLIUP@ida.gov.sg. About GridNode GridNode provides businessware for extended enterprise management and Web Services. Using a highly-optimized, distributed architecture for B2B integration and collaboration, GridNode's peer-to-peer (P2P), XML-based product suite enables critical supply chain data to be exchanged, synchronized and analysed in real-time via the Internet infrastructure, reliably and efficiently. GridNode's software complies with latest industry standards and enhances existing enterprise information systems, such as ERP, SCM and CRM. GridNode also offers a robust and affordable RosettaNet Basics-compliant solution for enterprises of any size to connect directly to their trading partners. GridNode has offices in US, Singapore and Taiwan. More information about the company and its products can be found at www.gridnode.com. About Progress Software Corporation Founded in 1981, Progress Software Corporation, or PSC (NASDAQ: PRGS) is the parent organization for the Progress Company operating unit, Sonic Software Corporation, and NuSphere Corporation. PSC provides industry-leading technologies for all aspects of e-business development, deployment, integration and management. Progress Software Corporation is headquartered in Bedford, MA Progress Software has been established in the Asia/Pacific region for 10 years. It has around 100 employees and is represented in 15 countries across the region. Its subsidiary offices are located in: Singapore, Australia, China, Hong Kong and Malaysia. For more information on Progress Software, please visit our web site www.progress.com or send us an email to sea-mktg@progress.com. About Sonic Software Sonic Software enables reliable interoperability of software applications within and across enterprises based on Web services and Internet messaging standards. Sonic products provide advanced security capabilities, unmatched performance and scalability, and guaranteed delivery of mission-critical information. Sonic is the world's fastest growing Internet middleware company and counts leaders in financial services, energy, telecommunications and manufacturing among its over 500 customers. Sonic is an independent operating company of Progress Software Corporation (NASDAQ: PRGS), a $250+ million software industry leader with customers in over 100 countries is headquartered in Bedford, Massachusetts. For more information on Sonic Software Corporation, please visit our website www.sonicsoftware.com or send us an email to sea-mktg@progress.com For more information: Lee Kiew Puan GridNode Pte Ltd +65 6 848 5848 kiew.puan.lee@gridnode.com