eBizinsights CS AVAILABLE TO MICROSOFT CS BETA CUST

At PC Expo 2000, Visual Insights announced that eBizinsights CS will be immediately available for beta customers of Microsoft Corp's new Commerce Server 2000. eBizinsights CS is the latest version of Visual Insights' family of next-generation eBusiness performance software solutions launched earlier this month. eBizinsights CS is scheduled for general release in Fall 2000. Visual Insights will present product demonstrations of eBizinsights CS at Microsoft's PC Expo 2000 exhibit in Booth 2636.

Powered by Visual Insights' patented Visual Discovery and realTime3D animation technology and fully integrated with Commerce Server 2000, eBizinsights CS is designed to help dot.com companies target highly segmented audiences, build effective promotions, and understand the overall effectiveness of their eBusinesses. This combination gives dot.com business managers the right tools to ensure that their Internet business is running efficiently and profitably - and gives them ability to optimize their business in real time.

By integrating next generation eBusiness analysis and reporting capabilities with the targeting and campaign management features of Commerce Server 2000, companies will be able to transform their analyses into immediate actions. eCompanies will gain a unified view of customer and visitor behaviors, promotional effectiveness, as well as site and product performance. eBizinsights CS also features realTime3D site performance and monitoring. This revolutionary capability gives eBusiness managers the unprecedented ability to examine business performance in real-time, tune their promotions and merchandising strategies accordingly, and leverage the true value of Internet speed.

Microsoft Commerce Server 2000, as a part of the Windows DNA 2000 platform, provides services and components that streamline creation and deployment of business-to-business and business-to-consumer e-commerce sites. With Commerce Server 2000, every element of the interactions between the site and its customers feeds into the business analysis system to provide site owners with the insights they need to respond to trends and events at Web speed. This process, called "closed loop analytics," enables business managers to drive optimal change on the Website - taking immediate action to reduce abandonment rates, for example, or creating segmented promotions targeted to the most profitable online customers.

According to Visual Insights CEO Douglas A. Cogswell, "The combination of Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 and eBizinsights CS gives B2B or B2C enterprises a strong competitive edge to ensure survival and success in the volatile Web economy. Commerce Server 2000 provides a powerful platform for streamlining eBusiness and profiling and targeting customers. With eBizinsights CS embedded, companies will be able to quickly create strategies to increase sales, profits and customer retention. Making the crucial connection between eBusiness and ROI is the surest way for dot.coms to gain and sustain a competitive position with investors, shareholders and customers."

"The integration of eBizinsights CS with Commerce Server 2000 helps eBusiness customers analyze Web site performance on-the-fly and take immediate action to improve results," said Chris Atkinson, vice president of Windows DNA and Web Services Solutions at Microsoft. "We are excited about the great work that Visual Insights has done to innovate on the Windows DNA 2000 platform and to add value for our joint customers."

Windows DNA 2000 and Commerce Server 2000

Windows DNA 2000 is Microsoft's platform for rapidly building and deploying next-generation e-commerce, line-of-business and Web solutions that easily integrate with customers, partners and existing applications. Microsoft Commerce Server 2000 provides in-depth, easy-to-customize solutions for both business-to-business (supplier) and business-to-consumer (retail) e-commerce site development and sophisticated business analytics, and is an enabler for e-market providers.

The eBizinsights Family: A New Standard for Measuring Business Performance

Launched in mid-June, eBizinsights offers a complete eBusiness performance solution. The software features patented Visual Discovery and realTime3D. The software provides eBusinesses with a more effective solution for designing sustainable eBusiness strategies, resulting in highly segmented promotions, enhanced customer satisfaction and loyalty, unparalleled site performance and operational efficiency. eCompanies will increase sales and profits, gain customer loyalty and lower operating costs.

Leveraging the power of Microsoft SQL Server and Windows 2000, eBizinsights enables businesses to store data for analysis and reporting over sustained time periods. Organizations can also publish reports directly to the Web for fast, ubiquitous and secure information access throughout the enterprise.

In addition to eBizinsights CS for Microsoft Commerce Server 2000, Visual Insights' eBizinsights family of products includes two other versions:

• eBizinsights - available now - vivid visual displays promote instant understanding for better, faster and more informed decision making. eBizinsights is designed specifically for the Microsoft Web platform and is optimized for small to mid-sized sites.
• eBizinsights XL - available Fall 2000 - features enhanced data management capabilities to provide superior performance for large commerce and information/branding sites. By integrating real-time and historical data with corporate and market databases, companies can build custom visual perspectives and reports tailored to specific business requirements. eBizinsights XL is available for Microsoft IIS, Netscape, and Apache Web platforms and is optimized for larger sites.

About Visual Insights

Visual Insights is the eBusiness Performance Company. Our mission is to help companies create and sustain winning eBusiness strategies. Our patented data visualization software revolutionizes the way people analyze and present eBusiness data, allowing companies to gain a better understanding of their customers, their marketing strategies, site performance, and overall return on their eBusiness investments.

Visual Insights was formed in 1997 to leverage 10 years of Lucent Technologies Bell Laboratories' extensive research and development efforts in data visualization technology. After spinning off from Lucent in 1999, Visual Insights acquired Visible Decisions Inc to form a world leading data visualization software company.

Today, hundreds of corporations depend on Visual Insights' data visualization-based solutions to define and understand business risk, evaluate eBusiness strategies, analyze financial data, and get closer to their customers. Leading technology companies, including Microsoft, IBM, Cognos, and i2 Technologies, integrate our Visual Discovery and realTime3D to enhance their product offerings.

Contact Visual Insights, Sharon Hamilton, 630-753-8614, sharon.hamilton@visualinsights.com.