Linuxcare Brings Linux to the World of Business

New State-of-the-Art 24x7 Support Infrastructure to Serve Enterprise IT Requirements; Company Secures Strategic Funding to Take Business to Next Level.

February 22, 1999 -- Linuxcare, Inc., the first company to offer a complete solution for Linux technical support, consulting, education, and product certification to Fortune 1000 companies, announced today the launch of 24x7 enterprise-class support programs, including a state-of-the-art call center and business-oriented service level agreements.

To finance the dramatic growth of its business, Linuxcare also has secured seed financing from Sand Hill Group, a leading investment and advisory firm, and other prestigious investors.

"We see Linuxcare as a strategic investment in the Linux space," said MR Rangaswami of Sand Hill Group. "Linux is being adopted in mainstream business, and Linuxcare is first-to-market with the level of professional support corporate IT requires."

"Our 24x7 enterprise-class support programs, particularly the call center, reflect a strategic focus on customer support and care," said Arthur Tyde, CEO and co-founder of Linuxcare. In addition, Linuxcare has designed new service level agreements based on customer business requirements. The service agreements are modular, so that they can be customized for each Linuxcare customer, Tyde explained. Tyde, founder and president of the Bay Area Linux Users Group, has directed support operations for major corporations such as AAA, The Gap, Fireman's Fund, and IBM.

Linuxcare's state-of-the-art call center will feature advanced computer-telephony integration (CTI), so that all requests are received centrally and tracked - thus delivering speedier and more accurate customer responses. In addition, all Linuxcare technical support engineers can instantly access and update the largest shared database of worldwide Linux resources and expertise. The database includes all open and solved customer issues, all Linux documentation, articles, mailing lists and news group archives, Howto's, FAQs and more.

According to Kris Rost, Information Systems Manager at OK International, a worldwide leader in solutions for electronics manufacturing and production, "we chose Linux based on Linuxcare's recommendation, and their ability to stand behind the solutions they have developed for us. We can sleep at night knowing Linuxcare is there for us."

With its exclusive focus on Linux technologies, proven creative solutions and access to a worldwide network of qualified Linux experts, Linuxcare is the premier provider of Linux support to customers in business, education and government markets.

Linuxcare supports all major distributions of Linux on all major platforms, allowing its customers the flexibility to choose options that best fit their needs. The supported Linx distributions include those from Caldera, Debian, LinuxPPC, Linux-Mandrake, Pacific HiTech, Red Hat, Slackware Linux and SuSE. Platforms supported include Alpha, Intel, MIPS, PowerPC, SPARC and StrongArm.

"We are excited to be partnering with companies such as Linuxcare that already provide Linux support and consulting to corporate customers. There's no question that Linuxcare offers a one stop shop for world-class expertise in Linux technology," said Marc Torres, President, SuSE, Inc.

Linuxcare offers a wide range of expertise and support.

• Linuxcare Frontline Support: Phone, Web and email technical support for Linux. Direct access to Linux experts for answers about all major distributions and platforms. Support is available as single incidents, incident packs and monthly, quarterly and annual service contracts. Four levels of on-call support are available: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Customized options are also available. Depending on the option, customers have access to world-class Linux experts up to 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
• Linuxcare Backline Support: Works behind the scenes, seamlessly integrating with a business' customer support resources to maintain quality service. Linuxcare technical support engineers supplement the company team, answering the phone and responding to e-mail under the company name.
• Linux Consulting Services: robust technological solutions to operating system issues.
• Linuxcare University: training classes designed to promote knowledge of Linux technology.
• Linuxcare Labs: porting assistance, product optimization, benchmarking and certification.
• Open Source Development: actively contributing software development efforts as an endowment to the future of Linux.

"Downtime is not an option for us," said Huub J. A. Schuurmans, Director of Technology for the Netherlands Office of Science and Technology. "Linuxcare gives us the confidence that our network and our Linux systems will be running smoothly and securely twenty-four hours a day."

About Sand Hill Group, LLC
 
Sand Hill Group provides business mentorship and investment in emerging enterprise technology leaders. Their portfolio companies are either start-ups in a compelling new market segment, or mature companies reaching critical mass that need to sustain exceptional growth records. More information about Sand Hill Group can be found at www.sandhill.com.

About Linuxcare, Inc.
 
Linuxcare, Inc. is the leading provider of Linux services-including technical support, professional services, education, and product certification-for Global 1000 companies. Linuxcare supports all major distributions of Linux on all major platforms, offering a variety of programs including 24x7 enterprise-class telephone support. With funding from Kleiner Perkins and others, Linuxcare is working with numerous major technology companies. The company hosts http://www.linuxcare.com, the world's leading online technical-support resource for Linux. Founded in 1998, Linuxcare is headquarters in San Francisco, Calif. The company can be reached at 888-LIN-GURU (+1-415-354-4878) and at http://www.linuxcare.com. Japanese information regarding Linuxcare services is now available through jpinfo@linuxcare.com.