HAMBURG, Germany, July 20, 2001 (PRIMEZONE) -- Gauss (GER:GSO), the developer of unified content management solutions for the extended enterprise, today announced that Maritz(r) Inc. has selected Gauss' VIP Platform to centrally manage the company's global web content infrastructure. Concurrently, the two companies announced a partnership wherein Maritz would bundle the VIP Platform into their suite of Internet-based solutions.
According to Maritz Chief Information Officer (CIO) Gil Hoffman, the Gauss VIP Platform was chosen to effectively manage and help further the rapid growth of Internet-based programs offered through the company's "Global Technology Services." The success of these programs propelled Maritz to be ranked 28th in InformationWeek magazine's, 2000 "InformationWeek 500," most innovative users of information technology. To help build on this success, Gauss was selected over other vendors for its ability to reduce the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of managing web content infrastructures for Maritz' suite of e-business services in performance improvement, market research and travel.
"Content management has become a cornerstone of our e-business service infrastructure," says Hoffman, who was also recently named to Computerworld magazine's Premier 100 IT Leader list. "Gauss provides a proven solution that will help us control costs, grow our business globally, and provide our customers with the highest standards of service."
By electing to buy versus building a web content management system; Maritz expects to significantly reduce the cost of deploying and managing intranet, extranet and Internet sites serving as the cornerstone of their e-business model. Because VIP is built upon standards using Java technology, Maritz' international web development team will continue using their favorite web authoring tools, and still offer customers a consistent and personalized online experience, anywhere in the world.
Hoffman adds, "We selected Gauss both as a vendor and a partner because they met our rigorous standards at every level. When you consider that our client-base includes more than half of Fortune magazine's "Global 50," and many of the "Fortune 200," you can imagine the expectations we have to live up to. We think Gauss will help us exceed those expectations, and enhance our position as an e-business innovator."
Gauss North America President and CEO Ron Vangell echoed Hoffman's confidence, "We're right for the job. Gauss is both a pioneer and a mature player in the content management field. With headquarters in Irvine, California and Hamburg, Germany, and over 500 employees worldwide, we have the international presence and infrastructure required to be a strategic global partner."
VIP will enable Maritz to dramatically save time and money, and improve customer satisfaction by empowering clients to publish content to web sites offered through the company's Global Technology Services. While Maritz' highly skilled development team maintains complete control over Website layout and design, customers globally will be able to post content to web without compromising the security-or the look and feel-of the site.
About Gauss
Gauss is the leading global provider of unified content management solutions for the extended enterprise. The Gauss VIP platform bridges the content management divide, unifying Web content and portal management with document management and workflow into one integrated product suite. VIP's Java- and XML-based technologies provide an open environment for extending e-business and e-commerce capabilities, empowering those responsible for driving your business relationships with the freedom to manage your Web initiatives securely and efficiently. Founded in 1983, Gauss is a global organization with headquarters in Hamburg, Germany, Irvine, California, and offices throughout the United States, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For press information in Europe, contact Britta Cirkel at +49-40-3250-1151, or britta.cirkel@gauss-interprise.com. In the U.S., contact Ken Burns or Jennifer Sparks at +1-949-784-8000 or corpcomm@us.gaussinterprise.com. To learn more about Gauss, visit www.gaussinterprise.com
About Maritz
Maritz Inc., which ranked 157th on the most recent Forbes list of "500 Biggest Private Companies," is based in the St. Louis suburb of Fenton, MO. Maritz offers marketing research, travel, and performance improvement, which are delivered through 20 operating companies located in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, and Italy. Further information can be found at www.maritz.com.
Maritz(r) and the Maritz logo are registered service marks of Maritz Inc.: Gauss(r), and the Gauss logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Gauss Interprise, Inc. in the US and throughout the world. All other company and product names are used for identification purposes only and may be trademarks of their respective owners.