Crystal Decisions introduces packaged offerings to target SMB market

Delivers new revenue streams for channel partners by leveraging years of expertise in enterprise marketplace

PALO ALTO, CA, Dec. 11, 2002 - Crystal Decisions, one of the world's leading information management software companies, today announced that it has introduced packaged offerings to meet the reporting, analysis and information delivery requirements of small to medium sized organizations. Crystal Decisions is recruiting strategic VAR partners focused on SMB and giving them the solutions and services they need to effectively target this space today.

"We are extending our success in the enterprise marketplace to address the specific needs of the small to medium sized business," said Ken Bero, Vice President of Channel Sales for Crystal Decisions. "There is strong demand in the SMB market for Business Intelligence solutions that allow companies to use corporate information for competitive advantage, while leveraging existing investments in data systems. For years, we've been working with large organizations on these mission-critical applications, and SMBs, with tight IT budgets and aggressive plans for growth, have an equal, if not stronger need for these types of applications."

Continued Bero: "The small to medium sized businesses remain relatively un-tapped by BI vendors, and the value that a BI implementation can have at these organizations is tremendous. With over 5.6 million business firms of this size in the US, the space is unique and strong, and we feel, by building on our success with Crystal Reports, we're well positioned to address this market."

"We are delighted with the packaged offerings in the distribution channel from Crystal Decisions," said John Finegan, CEO, Management Technology Group, Inc, a newly recruited Crystal Decisions VAR partner. "The solutions have the robust enterprise features we expect from Crystal Decisions and are a great fit for the small to medium sized business. As a result, we are able to offer compelling reasons and benefits to purchase. And most customers are already familiar with Crystal Decisions technologies with 12 million licenses of their products in the market."

The packaged offerings - all designed to meet the needs of the SMB - range from Crystal Reports Advanced; or five, 10, 20, or 30 Named User licenses of Crystal Enterprise; or five Concurrent User licenses of Crystal Enterprise, each with Technical Support and Maintenance. Prices range from $2,000 to $22,000. Crystal Enterprise is a reporting, analysis and information delivery platform that helps companies make better use of corporate data to understand and drive business performance. It integrates Crystal Reports - the de facto world standard in reporting - and Crystal Analysis, a powerful analytic reporting solution.

Zoot Enterprises, a mid-market organization, provides customized instant credit decisioning to seven of the top ten financial institutions in the U.S. Said Nicole Neary, Applications Development Manager at Zoot Enterprises: "As a critical component to the services we offer our clients, we needed a reliable and easy-to-use solution, and Crystal Decisions delivered. We're able to send our clients information they require to make effective business decisions, and this has increased our client's confidence in the services we provide."

Channel partners experience new revenue streams via new licensing, service and margin opportunities, coupled with marketing support, sales support, pre-sales support, dedicated account management, and training programs. Channel partners also benefit from a strong legacy of channel focus at Crystal Decisions.

For More Information

For more information on Crystal Decisions technologies and services, or to become a channel partner, phone 1-800-877-2340 (North America) or 1-604-681- 3435 (International), or visit the Crystal Decisions Web site at http://www.crystaldecisions.com.

About Crystal Decisions

Crystal Decisions, a privately held company, is one of the world's leading information management software companies with more than 12 million licenses shipped. Since 1984, Crystal Decisions has powered winning organizations with one of the fastest ways for employees, partners and customers to access the information they need to make the best decisions and ultimately reduce costs and increase productivity. The Crystal brand is among the most trusted names in enterprise reporting and more than 300 Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) have standardized on Crystal Decisions solutions. Headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif., Crystal Decisions has more than 20 offices worldwide and can be found on the Internet at http://www.crystaldecisions.com.

Crystal Decisions, Crystal Reports, Crystal Enterprise, Crystal Analysis, Crystal Services, Crystal Care, Crystal Assist, Crystal Applications and Holos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Crystal Decisions, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks or registered trademarks referenced are the property of their respective owners.

    For further information contact:
    Kristine Berry, Crystal Decisions          Lauren Stein, QPR
    (604) 647-8557                             (415) 348-2729
    kristine.berry@crystaldecisions.com     steinl@qpublicrelations.com