Global 2000 Companies Deploy BackWeb's Push Solutions for Critical Business-to-Business Communications

Ericsson, NEC Computers International and Sage Software Turn to BackWeb to Stay Close to Worldwide Networks of Dealers, Resellers and Trading Partners

SAN JOSE, Calif. — February 9, 2000 — BackWeb® Technologies (Nasdaq: BWEB), the leading provider of push for e-business solutions, today announced that its Polite™ push technology is fast becoming a key element of Web-based applications that allow global industry leaders to communicate and collaborate with dealers, resellers and trading partners. Using BackWeb software – including its popular BackWeb Sales Accelerator application – a broad range of global corporations are able to proactively deliver essential, time-sensitive information and materials to hundreds of thousands of partners around the world.

Corporations including Ericsson, NEC Computers International, Sage Software, and Computer 2000 are all implementing BackWeb solutions to keep in close touch with internationally dispersed networks of business partners. The firms use BackWeb solutions to send partners individually customized alerts on the latest product and pricing information, new promotions, support updates, and even changes in market conditions. With BackWeb, companies send information only when network bandwidth is available, so even large files have no impact on network and system performance. BackWeb's attention management tools instantly alert partners to the arrival of time-sensitive information, and interaction reporting confirms that partners have received and acted upon the information.

"Around the world, companies are turning to BackWeb to ensure that their partners – no matter where they are located – always have the latest and most critical information," said Eli Barkat, chairman and CEO of BackWeb Technologies. "Each of these leaders understands the vital role that push is playing in business-to-business communications. We are delighted to see BackWeb embraced as a fundamental Internet technology for maintaining and enhancing their business partner relationships."

Global leaders implementing BackWeb solutions for business-to-business communications include:

Ericsson, the telecom and datacom giant, plans to deploy BackWeb's push technology to more than 120,000 value-added resellers by the end of 2000. BackWeb will enable Ericsson, which has operations in 140 countries, to keep VARs up to date on product, pricing and promotion information.
NEC Computers International BV, one of NEC's core companies to provide personal computers, servers and Internet solutions to corporations, individuals and government/public sectors. NEC Computers International will use BackWeb as part of its global business-to-business extranet services for more than 8,000 dealers and partners. The PC leader plans to allow dealers to automatically receive updates on the most relevant and important information regarding the products they carry.
Sage Software, a subsidiary of The Sage Group plc, is installing BackWeb as part of a long-term effort to build stronger partner relationships with its more than 8,000 independent reseller agents. The PC-based accounting software leader expects that by proactively sending updates on products, promotions, pricing, and market conditions, Sage is expected to streamline operations and increase customer satisfaction.
Computer 2000, a part of Tech Data Group, has implemented BackWeb to proactively send targeted updates and alerts to its network of 2,000 resellers. The InfoCast 2000 extended enterprise network allows Computer 2000 to work with resellers in the most efficient way possible – trimming overall costs and improving reseller productivity.

"The ability to proactively alert our 120,000 value-added resellers to the latest information on Ericsson products means we can stay several steps ahead of the competition," said Jan Ahrenbring, vice president of marketing and communications at Ericsson. "BackWeb takes a worldwide partner network and brings it home to us by giving us the tools to send vital information that is customized to the interests and needs of each reseller. BackWeb is a vital component of our business-to-business e-commerce operations."

"BackWeb will be enormously helpful in our strategy to make it easier than ever to do business with Sage," said Dave Butler, president and COO of Sage Software. "This premium service will spare our reseller partners from having to seek out the information they need on products, promotions and market information. This is an important part of our efforts to make the Web an effective, competitive tool for ourselves and our partners."

With BackWeb's patented Polite push technology, Global 2,000 companies can deliver multimedia-rich digital packages of any size or format, including audio, video, graphics and html – all without impacting system or network performance. BackWeb's Polite Agent™ avoids disrupting the customer by using only available bandwidth and politely delivering the information in the background.

About BackWeb Technologies
BackWeb Technologies is a leading offline Web software company. BackWeb extends the value of technology investments by offering mobile and remote employees offline access to portals, intranets and other Web-based applications and content. The company's products reduce network costs and improve the productivity of an increasingly mobile workforce. At the core of BackWeb's products is its patented Polite® synchronization technology that can distribute large amounts of data even over narrow bandwidth connections. BackWeb® customers include market leaders such as Boehringer Ingelheim, Centocor, Eastman Kodak, GE Healthcare, Guidant, HP, KLA Tencor, Lam Research, Pfizer and more than one hundred other companies. BackWeb also has strategic reseller alliances with software industry leaders: Plumtree, SAP and IBM. The company is headquartered in San Jose, Calif. and Rosh Ha'ayin, Israel. For more information, visit www.backweb.com or call (800) 863-0100.

Statements in this news release, which are not purely historical, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the U.S. Securities laws, including statements of beliefs, plans, expectations or intentions regarding the future. Examples of these statements include, but are not limited to, the ability of BackWeb software to allow customers to gain mobile, disconnected use of their portals and help increase field sales and field service productivity, the integration of BackWeb software with BEA products will help developers extend portal applications for offline use without changing the way they work, and the ability of the resulting applications to help field sales and service organizations realize maximum productivity, cost savings, and process acceleration gains while disconnected from the network. Actual results could differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include unforeseen technological issues related to use of the BackWeb software, deployment issues related to implementation, unforeseen software errors, competitive factors and business and expense factors that may affect the perceived efficiencies from use of BackWeb's products, and the risks and uncertainties detailed from time to time in BackWeb's periodic reports and registration statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. BackWeb assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this press release.