Microsoft Announces Social Enterprise Alliance

Collaboration with Telligent, speakTECH yields best-of-all-worlds technology
for connecting manufacturers to key customer communities.

REDMOND, Wash., May 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Microsoft Corp. today
announced the Social Enterprise Alliance, a strategic collaboration between
Microsoft Gold Certified Partners Telligent Systems Inc. and speakTECH to
deliver an integrated social networking solution for customers in the
manufacturing and consumer goods sectors. The alliance will launch the Social
Enterprise Solution, which includes platform and application products and
services that enable companies to connect to and leverage key customer
communities through social networking and analytics technologies

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

The Social Enterprise Alliance enables manufacturing and consumer goods
customers to achieve deeper insight and stronger connections to their
customer, partner and supplier communities. Unlike point solutions built on
rigid platforms and lacking value-added services, the Social Enterprise
Solution delivers customized workstreams integrating Microsoft Office
SharePoint Server, Microsoft's extensible collaboration and workflow platform;
powerful community and analytics provided by Telligent's Community Server
enterprise social computing platform; and expert design, user experience and
systems integration services from speakTECH.

"The Social Enterprise Alliance with Telligent and speakTECH demonstrates
Microsoft's commitment to recognizing partners that collaborate to offer a
higher level of solutions and services offerings that are more relevant to
customer needs," said Greg Urquhart, general manager, U.S. ISV and National
System Integrators, U.S. Partners Group at Microsoft. "By integrating
Telligent's Community Server platform with speakTECH's integration and
services expertise -- all of which leverage the Microsoft Office SharePoint
Server platform -- companies have a better solution to connect with their
customers, partners, suppliers and investors."

"Manufacturing and consumer goods companies have a unique opportunity to put
the power of social computing to work across all aspects of their business,
improving engagement and collaboration of employees, partners, distributors
and customers," said Rob Howard, founder and CTO of Telligent. "Holistic
social computing solutions enable the agile and innovative enterprise."

"Companies are finding the return on investment for social media campaigns to
be aggressively outpacing traditional marketing strategies," said Aaron
Sloman, CEO of speakTECH. "It's driving a transformation where traditional
marketing departments need to re-tool as interactive marketing agencies."

About Telligent
Telligent is a leader in enterprise software for online communities and
collaboration. Telligent's two flagship offerings, Community Server and
Community Server Evolution provide fully integrated platforms that utilize
social computing to enhance customer relationships and brand engagement,
increase ROI, provide channels for customer insight and feedback, improve
employee collaboration, increase knowledge management, and foster ideation.
With its proven platform, Telligent empowers collaboration for many of the
world's largest brands, including Dell, Electronic Arts, Intel, Microsoft, and
Reader's Digest. For more information, visit Telligent.com.

About speakTECH
Founded in 2005, speakTECH is an interactive design and technology firm that
specializes in uniting technology, riveting design and interactive experience
into powerful, world-class business solutions. speakTECH competencies span
consultancy, design and development services aimed at improving operational
efficiencies, transferring skills to client personnel, and enhancing customer
experience. speakTECH solutions are often built on technology that customers
already own, such as Microsoft Office and components of the Windows Platform.
speakTECH is a Microsoft Gold Certified partner and National Systems
Integrator. Learn more by visiting http://www.speakTECH.com/cool.

About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) is the worldwide leader in software,
services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full
potential.

SOURCE Microsoft Corp.

Todd Nelmes, senior public relations and communications manager, of Microsoft,
+1-425-421-9190, tnelmes@microsoft.com; or Rapid Response Team of Waggener
Edstrom Worldwide, +1-503-443-7070, rrt@waggeneredstrom.com, for Microsoft; or
Ken Vernon, vice president of marketing of Telligent, +1-972-407-0688,
kvernon@telligent.com; or Amy Costello, communications manager of speakTECH,
+1-949-467-9683, amy.costello@speaktech.com