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MEDIA ADVISORY
CENTRINITY COMPLETES FIRST PHASE OF IMPLEMENTATION OF FIRSTCLASS COLLABORATIVE GROUPWARE AT THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FOR THE ISLE OF MAN
FirstClass selected by government department to improve communications and replace existing email system within and between schools and the Education Department
RICHMOND HILL, ON, April 17, 2002 - Centrinity Inc. (TSE: CTI), the developers of the FirstClass Communications Platform, today announced that it has completed the first phase of implementation of FirstClass® at the Isle of Man's Department of Education. Last July, the government purchased 10,000 FirstClass Groupware licenses under a three-year renewable licensing agreement to enhance communications across all of its schools.
FirstClass will replace the Department of Education's existing MicrosoftTM Exchange system, which serves school email. During implementation Centrinity used its FirstClass® MicrosoftTM Migrator tool to seamlessly move educators from its existing email system to FirstClass. According to Graham Kinrade from the advisory division of the Department of Education, they found that their current system was too restrictive and it required his team to be in the office at all times and created certain challenges for educators trying to communicate within and outside of the classroom.
"With FirstClass an administrator does not have to be restricted to the office or a particular location as you are able to configure and access it from any location at any time," said Mr. Kinrade. "Not only is FirstClass more cost-effective but it also provides us with increased flexibility and functionality. Our educators can now take advantage of the benefits of FirstClass through online learning. In addition, we are now able to increase parental access to information through collaborative conferences. We did not have this flexibility with our current system."
He added: "The FirstClass platform's inherent flexibility, and configurability on a per user basis really meets the needs of an on-line learning community. FirstClass evolves with our needs and provides the needed tools and security features for our educators to simplify their communication needs and enhance the learning environment. Before FirstClass we were not able to easily share information - since we have implemented the system we can already see a significant improvement."
"Centrinity is pleased that FirstClass has been selected by the Isle of Man's Department of Education," said Steve Summers, managing director, Centrinity International. "Since our inception in 1989 we have achieved a solid foundation with our Collaborative Groupware technology in the global education market. Our Collaborative Groupware is at the centre of our FirstClass Communications Platform that combines the power of Groupware and Unified Communications. We look forward to working closely with the Department of Education and the wider Manx community to help them meet their objectives."
The Isle of Man, situated in the centre of the British Isles, is an internally self-governing dependent territory of the Crown which is not part of the United Kingdom. Tynwald, the Island’s 1,000 year old Parliament, makes its own laws and oversees all internal administration, fiscal and social policies. The Department of Education is responsible for the provision and administration of all education facilities in the state sector. It is funded by Tynwald and operates independently of UK education authorities and the Department for Education and Employment.
About FirstClass Communications Platform
FirstClass is a software solution that combines the power of Centrinity's FirstClass Collaborative Groupware and Unified Communications technologies into one Common Communications Platform. At the foundation of the FirstClass Communications Platform is Centrinity's Collaborative Groupware, which provides users with the ability to effectively communicate and share valuable resources through email, conferencing, directories, calendaring and online chats.
Centrinity's FirstClass Unified Communications technology, seamlessly converges email, voice mail and fax messages into one unified mailbox thereby enabling users to access all of their data and messages via the device of their choice including cellphone, telephone, computer and handheld devices - anytime, anywhere.
About Centrinity Inc.
Centrinity is a leading provider of Unified Communications and Collaborative Groupware software solutions to service providers, enterprises and learning organizations. Our award-winning software solutions are designed to enhance productivity and efficiency by simplifying and facilitating the management of communications and information among individuals and groups. Centrinity is listed under the symbol 'CTI' on the Toronto Stock Exchange. Web site: www.centrinity.com.
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For more information please contact:
Margaret Williamson
Centrinity Inc.
Manager, Corporate Communications
Tel: 905.762.6234
This media advisory may include statements about expected future events and/or financial results that are forward-looking in nature and subject to risks and uncertainties. The company cautions that actual performance will be affected by a number of factors, many of which are beyond its control. Future events and results may vary substantially from what the company currently foresees.
FirstClass is a registered trademark of a Centrinity Inc. subsidiary used under license. Centrinity and the Centrinity logo are trademarks of Centrinity Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
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