ECONOMICS

Ascential Software Corporation, the enterprise data integration leader, announced today that it will demonstrate the Ascential Enterprise Integration Suite(TM) and Ascential Real-Time Integration Services(TM) at the Gartner Symposium/ITxpo, March 28 - April 1, 2004 in San Diego. Ascential Software will be located at Booth 612 and will have a team of industry and integration experts on hand to demonstrate the real customer value driven by Ascential Software. Enterprise data integration solutions from Ascential Software have been assessed in recent Gartner reports including ETL Magic Quadrant Update, 2H03: The Market Broadens (October 2003) and MarketScope Data Quality Technology (March 9, 2004). In the influential Gartner report, ETL Magic Quadrant Update, 2H03: The Market Broadens, authored by Ted Friedman, principal analyst, Business Intelligence Infrastructure Team, Ascential Software was listed in the Leader quadrant based on completeness of vision and ability to execute.(1) According to Gartner, Leaders are performing well today, have a clear vision of market direction and are actively building competencies to sustain their leadership position in the market. The report can be viewed at http://mediaproducts.gartner.com/reprints/ascentialsoftware/118151.html. In MarketScope Data Quality Technology, also authored by Friedman, Ascential Software is rated as Positive in the data quality market(2). According to Gartner, vendors with a Positive rating demonstrate strength in specific areas, but are largely opportunistic. Gartner states that customers of these vendors should continue incremental investments and potential customers should put this vendor on a shortlist of tactical alternatives. Gartner Symposium/ITxpo is the largest and most strategic information technology conference and exhibition, providing business leaders with a perspective on the future of IT. For more than 10,000 IT professionals from the world's leading enterprises, Gartner's Symposium/ITxpo events are key components of their annual planning efforts. Attendees are responsible for more than $35 billion in IT spending for their respective companies, and rely on Gartner Symposium/ITxpo to gain insight into how their organizations can use technology to address business challenges and improve operational efficiency. For more information, please visit www.gartner.com/us/symposiumwestcoast.