Information Builders Ad Hoc Reporting Solution Achieves Section 508 Compliance

NEW YORK, NY--(Marketwire - January 15, 2009) - Information Builders, the independent leader in operational business intelligence (BI) systems today announced that its intuitive ad hoc reporting solution, InfoAssist, has been certified as Section 508 compliant by Criterion 508 Solutions, Inc.

With Section 508 compliance, InfoAssist is more readily accessible to people with disabilities. Among other provisions that support users with special needs due to being hearing-impaired or having motor-related disabilities, certification means that the software can be used by people with vision impairments who rely on various assistive products to access computer-based information.

For example, InfoAssist now provides text equivalents so that people using a screen reader, which translates what's on a computer screen into automated audible output, have meaningful alternative text assigned to non-text elements. This helps users distinguish between important functional elements as opposed to visual elements that are simply contributing to the overall appearance of the page.

"Achieving this certification is a milestone for us, because it brings us to a new level of extending business intelligence to the masses," said Gerald Cohen, CEO and president, Information Builders. "Accessibility considerations have expanded beyond applications built for the federal government. Whether a customer or partner system, software needs to be accessible to everyone and we are now able to help organizations achieve this goal."

Inaccessible technology interferes with a person's ability to obtain and use information with speed and ease. Section 508 was established to eliminate information technology barriers, provide new opportunities for people with disabilities, and stimulate the development of technologies that support these efforts. In 1998, Congress amended the U.S. Rehabilitation Act to require federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities. As a result of non-discrimination, equal rights, and fair labor standards acts, many Global 2000 companies are also mandated to comply with Section 508. The criteria for Web-based technology and information are based on access guidelines developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium.

About Section 508

Section 508 was enacted to eliminate barriers in information technology, to make available new opportunities for people with disabilities, and to encourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goals. The law applies to all Federal agencies when they develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology. Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to the access available to others.

About Criterion 508 Solutions

Criterion 508 Solutions, Inc. was founded in 2001 to provide federal agencies and vendors with comprehensive Section 508 compliance solutions and to create IT employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Today Criterion employs more than 30 technical and legal consultants throughout the United States. Criterion also maintains a subscriber base of more than 7,500 readers for its popular Criterion 508 Notes! Email newsletter. With offices in Des Moines, Iowa and Washington, DC, Criterion works closely with local organizations such as Easter Seals, National Industries for the Blind and the Iowa Department for the Blind to identify and promote teaming opportunities that will create new IT job opportunities for people with disabilities. Criterion was founded by Anna Bradley, a nationally recognized expert in the field of Section 508 compliant accessible e-Learning design, development and governance with more than 15 years of technical and program management experience.

About Information Builders

As a leading independent business intelligence (BI) company for the past 30 years, Information Builders has provided innovative solutions to more than 12,000 customers, including most of the Fortune 100 and numerous U.S. federal government agencies. The company's flagship WebFOCUS product is the world's most widely used BI platform. Superior architecture and intuitive nature enables WebFOCUS to address the needs of everyone in the extended global enterprise -- executive, analytical, operational, and beyond. It provides the agility to adapt to changing business conditions with the security, scalability, and flexibility to support dozens to millions of users.

Unique to the company is the integration expertise it brings to the BI market. Information Builders iWay Software suite solves complex integration problems with pre-built components that require minimal custom programming. The award-winning combination of WebFOCUS and iWay gives Information Builders customers the ability to embrace the company motto: "Everyone Makes Decisions."

Information Builders is committed to customer service excellence with a Professional Services division that specializes in building custom applications using WebFOCUS and iWay Software. Headquartered in New York City with 90 offices worldwide, the company employs 1,450 people and has more than 350 business partners. Visit http://www.informationbuilders.com.

Contact Information: Press Contacts: Kathleen Moran Information Builders (917) 339-6313 Karyn Martin Emerge PR (617) 729-3173