VORTEX 2004 TO PEER INTO THE FUTURE OF ENTERPRISE COMPUTING
Visionaries From Cisco, EMC, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Juniper Networks, Microsoft, MySQL AB, Oracle, SAP, Sun and More to Discuss Future Technology, Company and Industry Directions

SOUTHBOROUGH, Mass. – July 21, 2004 – VORTEX, the acclaimed executive conference from Network World Events and Executive Forums, will present agenda- setting commentary on the issues that are shaping the near- and long-term future of the $1 trillion IT industry when the annual event convenes at the Bacara Resort & Spa in Santa Barbara, Calif., on Oct. 4-6, 2004.

"VORTEX 2004 is unique among conferences because it brings together CIOs and the top vendor executives. VORTEX is happening at a critical period in the re-emergence of the industry. This year, attendees will get an intimate look at the technologies and issues that will affect the way we'll build our future applications and infrastructure and they'll learn how to navigate through some tricky strategic decisions in the years ahead," said John Gallant, co-executive producer of VORTEX and president and editorial director of Network World. "CIOs and other IT executives will have a unique opportunity to explore these issues directly with senior executives of the leading companies that are shaping the future of enterprise computing today."

Also new to VORTEX 2004 is the addition of co-executive producer, Geoffrey Moore. He will open with a keynote address titled "Orchestrating the Stack" that explores how the industry's leading companies must position themselves to capitalize on the shift to Web-services based computing. Moore is managing director of TCG Advisors LLC and a partner at Mohr, Davidow Ventures. He has authored several books including "Crossing the Chasm," "The Gorilla Game," "Inside the Tornado," and, most recently, "Living on the Fault Line."

"The shift from Internet-enabled client server technologies to true Web-based computing will cause a tectonic shift in the landscape of the leading IT suppliers," said Moore. "It also creates significant decision points for CIOs who will have to evaluate their current vendor relationships while they weigh decisions about working with the innovative newcomers."

The conference agenda includes thought provoking Executive Spotlights and panels made up of senior executives, CIO's, industry analysts, disruptors and investors who will shape the IT industry tomorrow. All will share their thoughts and visions about networked computing, the extended enterprise, the future of enterprise software, industry dynamics and more.

Executive Spotlight Interviews with Gallant and Moore include:
• Mike Volpi, SVP & General Manager, Routing Technology Group, Cisco Systems
• Howard Elias, EVP, Corporate Marketing & Office of Technology, EMC Corporation
• Shane V. Robison, EVP, Chief Strategy & Technology Officer, Hewlett-Packard Company
• Irving Wladawsky-Berger, VP, Technology & Strategy, IBM Corporation
• Dan'l Lewin, Corporate Vice President, Business Development, DPE Division, Microsoft Corporation
• Charles E. Phillips, Jr., President & Member of the Board, Oracle Corporation
• Shai Agassi, Executive Board Member, SAP AG
• Jonathan Schwartz, President & COO, Sun Microsystems

Key panels discussions will unfold at the event, including the following:

• "Disrupters" with John Landry, Chairman & CTO, Adesso Systems, Inc.; Marten Mickos, CEO, MySQL AB and Stratton Sclavos, Chairman & CEO, VeriSign. From Web services to wireless, security to software-on-demand, this panel will showcase some emerging companies and innovative executives who aim to take a big piece of the new enterprise IT market.

• "CIOs" with Donald Haile, CIO, Fidelity Investments Systems Company; Steven Silberstein, Managing Director, Lehman Brothers and Ron Ponder, CIO, WellPoint. Business needs and applications drive the enterprise IT business. In this session, CIOs will look for answers to key questions for their leading technology suppliers, such as who will be their strategic partners for the next five years and how will they make those decisions? These buyers of IT products and services will also weigh in with a candid assessment of the industry most powerful players.

• "Industry Analysts" with L. David Passmore, Research Director, Network & Telecom Strategies, The Burton Group; John Gantz, SVP & Chief Research Officer, IDC, and John Hagel, Management Consultant & Author. VORTEX has assembled some of the best to help attendees understand where enterprise computing stands today relative to the transition from client-server to services-enabled architecture, and which vendors in their view have the best chance of capturing the high ground.

• "Investors" with Joe Schoendorf, Partner, Accel Partners; Sam Jadallah, General Partner, Mohr Davidow Ventures and Peter Solvik, Managing Director, Sigma Partners. These venture capitalists will share their views on the future of the IT stack and which companies are attracting their attention and investment dollars.

• "The Future of Enterprise Software" will be explored with David Kirkpatrick, Senior Editor, Internet & Technology, Fortune Magazine, as moderator and as panelists, Dan'l Lewin, Corporate Vice President, Business Development, DPE Division, Microsoft Corporation; Marten Mickos, CEO, MySQL AB; and Marc Benioff, Chairman, Salesforce.com. In this special session, some of the software business's most influential thinkers will debate what the future holds for enterprise software and the current industry powerhouses, including Oracle, SAP, PeopleSoft, Microsoft and more.

• A VORTEX Special Town Meeting will round out the event. VORTEX co-executive producers Geoffrey Moore and John Gallant will lead a panel in an open forum on "Innovation, Politics and the Future of the American Technology Industry," with luminaries Jeffrey Blumenfeld, Partner, Antitrust & Intellectual Property, Crowell & Moring, LLP; Umang Gupta, CEO of Keynote Systems; Mitchell Kertzman, Partner, Hummer Winblad Venture Partners; and David Kirkpatrick, Senior Editor, Internet & Technology, Fortune Magazine.

For more information or to register for VORTEX 2004, go to: www.vortex.net.
VORTEX is by-invitation-only, and is limited to senior executives, CIO's investors and entrepreneurs. Registration requests are subject to approval and will be reviewed.