Research Presented to Help Technology Vendors Understand How the Internet and
           Corporate Intranets Are Changing the Business Landscape

    FOSTER CITY, Calif., March 26 /PRNewswire/ -- SOFTBANK Forums today
presented research showing that Internet and intranet technologies are
sparking a fundamental change in the way companies are planning and spending
their IT budgets.
    Conducted by Computer Intelligence, the leading source of fact-based
information on the computer and communications industries, SOFTBANK Forums'
Internet/intranet research shows that of the large companies
surveyed:

    *  Nearly half are rethinking their entire network infrastructures.
    *  Two-thirds are increasing their Internet/intranet budgets.
    *  Nearly half are looking beyond their traditional vendors for technology
solutions.

    As a result, an unprecedented window of opportunity is open for
Internet/intranet technology vendors, with small start-ups having the chance
to compete against larger, more established vendors.
    "Companies see corporate intranets as critical to their success, which has
leveled the vendor playing field -- even small companies with superior
products can compete if their products satisfy a compelling need," said Stan
Schatt, senior research analyst for Computer Intelligence. "Large companies
are moving so quickly to implement intranet technology that they aren't
waiting for industry standards or return-on-investment studies, and because
intranets are seen as a key corporate resource, strategy decisions are being
driven from the top of the company down."
    "The purpose of this research is to help our technology vendor customers
make strategic marketing decisions by understanding how the Internet and
corporate intranets are changing the business landscape," said Michela
O'Connor Abrams, SOFTBANK Forums' chief operating officer.  "This is just one
more way SOFTBANK Forums is carrying out its mission:  bringing together
buyers and sellers of technology to share ideas, debate issues and shape the
direction of the technology market."
    Research data was gathered from 150 interviews with attendees from recent
SOFTBANK Forums' events who were also part of Computer Intelligence's research
database. Interviewees were involved with their companies' Internet/intranet
activities and strategies and represented companies of 1,000 or more
employees.  The resulting data shows the following:

    Internet and Intranet Technology is Fueling a Buying Revolution:

    *  While 83 percent of surveyed companies are planning Internet/intranet
hardware purchases and 79 percent are planning software purchases, nearly half
(49 percent) are rethinking their entire network infrastructures to
accommodate intranet technology.
    *  When evaluating new Internet/intranet technology, 47 percent of
surveyed companies prefer to look at new vendors rather than the vendors
they've worked with in the past.
    *  Sixty-nine percent of companies are increasing their intranet budgets,
while 66 percent are increasing their Internet budgets.  Seventeen percent of
the surveyed companies are this year spending at least $1 million on intranet
and another $1 million on Internet-related activities.
    *  The most important factor is companies' technology buying decisions is
quality (97 percent) while the least important factor is cost (48 percent).
Other important factors are likelihood the vendor will survive (87 percent),
vendor's reputation (69 percent) and vendor's future product plans
(63 percent).
    *  Fifty-one percent of the surveyed companies outsource all or part of
their Internet and intranet activities.

    Companies Have Embraced Corporate Intranets, Even Before Industry
Standards Are Set:

    *  Seventy-five percent of surveyed companies have installed a corporate
intranet, with another 8 percent in the planning stages.
    *  Companies find the concept of an intranet so compelling that 34 percent
said they were willing to invest in intranet technologies before industry
standards are set.
    *  Fifty-five percent of the companies with intranets didn't do a
return-on-investment study before implementation.

    Intranet Strategies Are Being Driven from the Top Down:

    *  Among surveyed companies, the person who most influences overall
intranet strategy is the CIO or VP of Information Systems (69 percent),
followed by the MIS director or network manager (67 percent).
    *  The person holding the most influence over the tactical implementation
of intranet technology is the company's Webmaster.

Java Holds a Substantial Lead over ActiveX:

    *  Eighty percent of surveyed companies are planning or considering Java
and Java-based products, while 43 percent are planning or considering using
ActiveX.
    *  Other technologies companies are planning or considering include
Netscape Communicator intranet tools (57 percent); server-push applications,
such as PointCast and Marimba (51 percent); electronic commerce (49 percent);
video over the Internet (43 percent); and voice over the Internet
(40 percent).

    For complete details of SOFTBANK Forums' Internet/intranet research, see
the research white paper available on SOFTBANK Forums' Web site,
http://www.sbforums.com.
    SOFTBANK Forums is the world's largest producer of technology events and
educational interactive forums, including membership associations, seminars,
consulting services, university-level courses, newsletters, industry awards
and Web communities.  The company is headquartered in Foster City, Calif. and
has international offices in London, Munich, Paris, Singapore, Sydney and
Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of the Japanese company, SOFTBANK Corporation, which
expects to achieve revenues of $3 billion in its current fiscal year ending
March 31.
    SOFTBANK Forums, 303 Vintage Park Drive, Foster City, CA 94404; New Web
Site Address:  http://www.sbforums.com.; Phone: 415-578-6900
    NOTE:  SOFTBANK Forums, the SOFTBANK Forums logo and "Where Technology's
Best Minds Meet" are trademarks or registered trademarks owned or used under
license by SOFTBANK Forums L.P., and may be registered in the United States or
other countries.  Other product and company names mentioned may be trademarks
of their respective owners.

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