AutoMate 5 helps streamline I.T. Automation projects for quicker delivery, enhanced profitablity

Network Automation's Flagship Product Requires No Coding; Uses "Drag-And-Drop" Method for Programming of Routine Tasks.

Los Angeles, March 8, 2004

Information technology professionals have a new tool to help complete Windows automation projects quicker than ever before, thanks to AutoMate 5 from Network Automation. The award-winning application uses visual tasks, which users string together on their computer screens via a drag-and-drop interface. Because AutoMate removes the need for time-intensive code-writing, and tasks are displayed on-screen in plain English, businesses using the solution can deploy automation projects in less time, freeing up their IT professionals to work on other mission-critical projects, which ultimately lowers overhead and enhances profitability.

With more than 10,000 users worldwide, AutoMate is the most widely used product in its class. Winner of industry awards from InformationWeek, PC Computing and Ziff-Davis, AutoMate includes more than 100 visual actions supporting native HTTP, text-to-speech, POP3 email, keystroke simulation, application runs, and SQL database connectivity. Unlike traditional scripting languages, each action has a graphical, easy-to-use user interface, freeing up the user's need to memorize commands and parameters.

First released in 1999, the application was designed with both seasoned IT pros and novice users in mind. For example, when the user adds an action to a task, that action is displayed on screen in the user's native language (for example, "Run the application minimized and wait for it to become idle"), rather than in an arcane programming syntax. The simplified, drag-and-drop approach makes automated tasks quick to build and easy to maintain, yielding a higher return on investment when compared with conventional programming and scripting methods.

"IT departments spend more time writing and maintaining code than they need to," said Dustin Snell, CEO and co-founder of Network Automation. "It's time-intensive, error-prone, decreases productivity, and costly for both the company and its customers. We offer a way to streamline the time and resources involved in most typical automation projects so they can be put to more productive use."

The current version, AutoMate 5, brings new benefits to its users, including:

- SQL Query, which enables users to perform SQL database transactions with a wide variety of database platforms such as SQL Server, Oracle, Access and other OLEDB complaint systems;
- Improved File Transfer Protocol (FTP) Compatibility, which provides compatibility with over 40 of the most widely used FTP servers
- Process Watcher, Service Watcher and Startup Watcher, three new triggers designed to increase system monitoring capability;
- Improved Error Handling, which allows automatic administrator notification of problems
- Improved Status Display, which allows system administrators greater visibility into current and future tasks executed through AutoMate
- Trigger Counters, which allows triggers to be configured to require the event to occur multiple times before the task actually starts
- Twenty-three new visual, drag and drop actions designed to reduce reliance on scripting and increase task intelligence, ranging from text manipulation to select/case and additional "if" conditional statements

About Network Automation

Network Automation, Inc. is the mid-market leader in automation software that streamlines and integrates business processes without expensive programming. Founded in 2004 and based in Los Angeles, the company provides business process automation solutions to more than 10,000 small, mid-market, and Global Fortune 1000 clients across 60 countries. The firm's AutoMate and AutoMate BPA Server platform span automation development, deployment, and management with a drag-and-drop environment that substantially reduces the total cost of the automation lifecycle. Common uses include job scheduling, automated FTP, batch processing, automated backups, scripting, automated testing, event log monitoring, automated reporting, and more. Network Automation's customers include NASA, IBM, Kaiser Permanente, Verizon, FedEx, and many regional, state, and federal government offices. For more information, visit www.networkautomation.com.

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