Hy-Vee Selects FineGround Networks to Enable Real-Time Web Applications

Supermarket Chain Improves Productivity and Reduces Total Cost of Ownership

CAMPBELL, Calif., March 24, 2003 -- FineGround Networks, Inc., the leader in enterprise Web application acceleration announced today that the Hy-Vee, Inc., an employee-owned corporation operating more than 200 retail stores, selected its FineGround Condenser(TM) application acceleration software. The Condenser will deliver optimized performance to retail stores across a frame relay network connecting the stores and corporate headquarters. The Condenser enables Hy-Vee store associates real-time access to a Plumtree business portal application which includes prices, inventory levels, point-of-sale information as well as corporate data. By providing a centralized distribution and management of store data, the Condenser provides the scalability and security required for Hy-Vee's day-to-day retail business transactions.

As retailers automate business processes, real-time portal applications play a pivotal role in improving business efficiency. For retail organizations that have geographically dispersed store locations, providing store associates access to the right information at the right time is essential to dynamically tailoring merchandise-to-markets. Faster access to business-critical information, exceptional customer service and higher productivity allow retailers to stay ahead of the competition.

"The ability to effectively and efficiently manage business intelligence and offer real-time access to our employees in all locations is critical," said Cevin Anderson, assistant vice president of IT at Hy-Vee, Inc. "We chose the FineGround Condenser because it delivered impressive performance gains on our Plumtree portal application as well as measurable ROI gains. The Condenser reduced our infrastructure costs without requiring us to modify our existing IT environment."

"High overhead and narrow profit margins make customer retention a key factor in a retailer's bottom-line performance," said Dixie Baker, vice president of sales at FineGround Networks. "We have helped our customers achieve faster access to high volumes of business transactions without performance degradation. Improved application performance gives companies the competitive edge required in today's economy."

About Hy-Vee, Inc.

Hy-Vee, Inc. is an employee-owned corporation operating more than 200 retail stores in seven Midwestern states. We provide career opportunities for 46,000 employees and generate annual sales in excess of $3.8 billion, ranking us among the top 15 supermarket chains in the nation.

About FineGround Networks

FineGround Networks provides the only software solution that accelerates the performance of web-based applications for enterprises. Using a broad range of optimization techniques, the Condenser improves performance by intelligently eliminating redundant traffic and latency delays in the network and the application. The Condenser requires no changes to the applications, servers or network. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, Covisint, Factset Research, Sun Microsystems, Walgreens, Whirlpool Corporation and many more are experiencing significant performance gains. Backed by New Enterprise Associates, Worldview Technology Partners and private investors, the FineGround team is headquartered in Campbell, California. Information about FineGround Networks can be found on the Web at http://www.fineground.com .

SOURCE FineGround Networks, Inc.

Web Site: http://www.fineground.com