Washington State Chooses Bing for Internet Portal Search

Partnership increases speed and relevancy of government site search results

OLYMPIA, Wash., July 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Washington citizens will now be able
to find information located on the state Internet portal
(http://access.wa.gov) in less time and with greater accuracy, thanks to a
partnership between the Washington State Department of Information Services
(DIS) and Microsoft Corp. This partnership allows DIS to integrate
Microsoft's new decision engine, Bing, into the existing state Internet portal
at no additional cost to Washington taxpayers.

"Adding Bing to Access Washington((R)) will improve the relevancy of search
results on the portal, allowing users to find the information they are looking
for faster and with greater accuracy," said DIS Deputy Director of Operations
Jim Albert.

Microsoft unveiled Bing in May. "Three design goals guided the development of
Bing," said Gail Thomas-Flynn, general manager of Microsoft's state and local
government business. "We wanted to deliver great results with a more organized
user experience, simplify tasks, and provide improved insight. Bing will lead
to more confident decisions while allowing Washington residents to more easily
find services as well as specific government and community information."

The Washington State Department of Information Services (DIS) provides
telecommunications, computing, and digital government services to state,
local, and tribal governments; higher education institutions, and qualified
non-profit organizations. www.dis.wa.gov

Visit Access Washington((R)), the Washington State Internet Portal at
http://access.wa.gov

The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the
trademarks of their respective owners.

Note to editors: If you are interested in viewing additional information on
Bing, please visit
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/bing/default.mspx.

SOURCE Washington State Department of Information Services

Joanne Todd, DIS Communications Director, office: +1-360-902-3553, cell:
+1-206-910-7601, joannet@dis.wa.gov