Enterprise Systems Management

SAN FRANCISCO—June 30, 2008—GroundWork Open Source, Inc. (www.groundworkopensource.com), the leader in commercial open source systems and network management software, today announced it has been selected by Everything Channel as a CRN Emerging Tech vendor for its GroundWork Monitor technology. CRN's Emerging Tech list captures companies that are delivering high margins for solution providers with innovative and easy-to-use technology that undercuts industry giants.

GroundWork Monitor is built on an open architecture that delivers enterprise-ready systems and network management more cost-effectively and with greater extensibility than expensive, proprietary traditional alternatives like IBM Tivoli or HP OpenView. The use of published open standards enables GroundWork Monitor to be seamlessly integrated with the other management tools required to support all operations.

In addition, GroundWork’s worldwide partner program is structured to help members ramp up quickly with training and certification through GroundWork University. Partners have the advantage of offering a leading IT management open source solution, which often times compliments the solution providers existing offerings. This is a powerful and effective way to help customers maximize IT operating efficiency while decreasing overall costs. As a result, sales from GroundWork Partners has increased year over year.

According to the CRN Emerging Tech Survey, the top reasons solution providers add emerging technologies include, the technology is superior to other products in the market segment; the technology compliments a solution providers’ existing practice areas; emerging vendors provide better services opportunities; emerging vendors pay better attention to partners; emerging vendors offer higher margins, customers want alternative product choices; and emerging vendors have better joint marketing programs. In addition, 61 percent of solutions providers surveyed plan to increase the number of emerging technology vendors they partner with in the next 12 months.

"New and innovative vendor partners can help spur profitable new ideas that Solution Providers can use to build revenue and customer loyalty, and the CRN Emerging Tech list is where Solution Providers go to find these vendors," said Robert C. Demarzo, senior vice president and editorial director, Everything Channel editorial.

Vendors who make the CRN Emerging Tech list must have an established solution provider program and formal guidelines for recruiting channel partners. They must demonstrate that its direct sales mix is trending down as evidenced by the company’s revenue history, a channel positive or channel neutral strategy for internal sales compensation, and not be a dominant market share player. Final selection to the Emerging Technology list was made at the discretion of the CRN editorial team after a review of the submitted information and conversations with current or targeted partners.

“GroundWork is honored to make it on this year’s Emerging Tech list,” said Dave Lilly, co-founder and CEO of GroundWork Open Source. “With partners like Novell, Red Hat, Unisys, Melillo Consulting, Ncell and many more, customers are met with a complete management and monitoring technology that integrates with existing environments and preserves the investments of past solutions.”

About GroundWork

San Francisco-based GroundWork Open Source, Inc. (http://www.groundworkopensource.com) is the market leader in open source network and systems management software, delivering enterprise-class network, system and application management solutions at a fraction of the cost of proprietary solutions.

GroundWork's best of breed approach gives customers the flexibility to use diverse open source and proprietary technologies together under a unified interface, allowing users to leverage the advantages of open source while simultaneously preserving existing investments in legacy management tools. GroundWork’s solutions are in use at organizations like Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, SAIC, Seton Hall University, Siemens, and World Bank. GroundWork’s solutions are available from GroundWork, its partners including Red Hat, Unisys, Fujitsu, and a worldwide network of channel partners. The company is privately held, with investments from Canaan Partners, Mayfield Fund, JAFCO Ventures and SAP Ventures.

About CRN

CRN provides solution providers and technology integrators with the crucial information and analysis they need to drive their company’s sales. As an advocate for and voice of the IT channel, solution providers turn to CRN first for immediate information. Celebrating its 25th year, CRN is the most trusted source for channel professionals. CRN can be found on the web at www.channelweb.com.

Everything Channel (www.everythingchannel.com, www.channelweb.com)

Everything Channel, formerly CMP Channel, is the global leader in technology sales and serves as the one stop shop for the sales channel that drives 75 percent of technology sales throughout the world. IT suppliers and Solution Providers turn to Everything Channel to manage and accelerate their business. Everything Channel provides the answer to strategy and branding, online marketing, research/market intelligence, lead generation, branded and custom events, education and workflow tools targeted to those who buy and sell through the Channel. Everything Channel is a subsidiary of United Business Media (http://www.unitedbusinessmedia.com/), a global provider of news distribution and specialist information services with a market capitalization of more than $2.5 billion.