FLEXSTOR TO RELEASE FLEX-db™ DAM TECHNOLOGY INTO OPEN SOURCE
MINNEAPOLIS (April 28, 2003) -- FLEXSTOR ® today announced bold plans to release its base FLEX-db™ Digital Asset Management (DAM) technology into the Open Source community. The company plans to post the source code by the end of the third quarter of 2003. This assertive move will enable FLEXSTOR to utilize the creative talent of thousands of programmers in the Open Source community by incorporating their best enhancements into future versions of this enterprise-level software. This strategy is designed to accelerate development enhancements with the associated high-level of software quality control that comes from increasingly popular Open Source initiatives.

"The time is right for us to make this strategic move into Open Source," said Don J. Giacchetti, FLEXSTOR's President and CEO. “The FLEXSTOR Technology Tridentä is already recognized as the technology leader in the marketplace. Placing one of the foundational legs of our trident into Open Source will establish the de-facto standard for DAM as a critical infrastructure technology for enterprise-level corporate and government organizations.”

Richard Niemiec, CEO of TUSC and President of the International Oracle Users Group-Americas, regarding FLEXSTOR stated "This is an impressive application that leverages the Oracle database. When placed in the Open Source community, the Total Cost of Ownership of managing digital files can be substantially reduced using this technology. This is another example of the paradigm shift that Open Source is creating."

Michael Moon, CEO of GISTICS Incorporated, commented that "Open Source asset repositories such as offered by FLEXSTOR will change the market for digital asset management (DAM) and enterprise content management (ECM) in two significant ways. First, Open Source DAM forcefully acknowledgest that basic repository functions -- thumbnails, check-in/checkout, version control, and routing and approval -- have become fully commoditized. This means that DAM and ECM vendors must add new,
distinctive value to differentiate their offerings or fail to win new customers. Second, Open Source DAM shifts the balance of power away from DAM and ECM vendors, whose solutions include high licensing fees. With Open Source Dam, dedicated vendors of media servers (Adobe, Equilibrium, TrueSpectra) and expert delivery technical integration/support services (small, tightly focused VAR, consultants, and
system integrators) will make it hard for product-oriented DAM and ECM firms to compete."

The two founding sponsors with FLEXSTOR on this Open Source initiative are Fort Dearborn Company and Rorke Data, Inc., a subsidiary of Bell Microproducts, Inc.. FLEXSTOR is in current discussions with potential Sponsors from the business and government communities. FLEXSTOR seeks other Sponsors to solicit advice and support on the future direction of the FLEX-db Open Source initiative.

The FLEXSTOR architecture is designed to provide users with an extensible core of functionality built around open standards. It can serve as both an application infrastructure to be extended, or alternatively, can be deployed in its simplest form as a turnkey solution. The FLEXSTOR product suite is an enterprise-wide, digital asset management solution built upon JAVA and object-based extensible Enterprise Java Bean (EJB) architecture. The software is composed of internally developed software modules and integrated foundation technology products including other Open Source products. FLEXSTOR offers its users a high performance, multi-tiered J2EE application architecture designed for Internet-based, multi-platform workstation clients, and utilizes the robustness and scalability of proven server, database and transaction processing technologies. The software provides local and remote access, automatic identification, distributed multi-level hot-folder capability, as well as management of the import, indexing, export, archiving and distribution of digital files.

Like an air traffic control system, the FLEXSTOR technology monitors and manages digital file assets on a global level. The FLEXSTOR Technology Trident is comprised of 3 separate technologies that complement each other and provide customers with solutions to manage distributed files and enable remote processes to be triggered at any location.

FLEX-db ™
Digital Asset Management technology which ingests digital files, updates metadata tables, creates thumbnails, and processes files according to business rules and logic. FLEX-db is currently comprised of 70 services like: archive, cut, copy, paste, convert, check in, check out, update, move, delete etc..

FLEX-dbLink ™
Allows digital files stored on any server to be made part of a virtual global repository using peer-to-peer technology. Digital files do not have to be collected up and stored on one central server but can instead remain where they are originally stored, and made available to any user logging in to FLEXSTOR. This technology is unique to FLEXSTOR.

FLEX-si ™
Service Initiated technology allows processes within FLEXSTOR and other applications to be linked together, and triggered by changes in metadata to create custom workflows without requiring custom code to be written. FLEX-si processes are defined by a simple XML file.

FLEXSTOR is a leading developer of enterprise content and digital file asset management software technology that enables customers to effectively store, retrieve, present and manage large volumes of digital information, wherever it resides. These “digital assets” may be in the form of videos, images, logos, documents, marketing collateral, articles, web pages, photos or other digital files. FLEXSTOR’s Technology Trident solution operates as The Air Traffic Control System for Digital Files ® .

FLEXSTOR and The Air Traffic Control System For Digital Files are registered trademarks of FLEXSTOR. FLEX-db, FLEX-dbLink, FLEX-si and Technology Trident are trademarks of FLEXSTOR.

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