CMG Forges Ties With Cognizant to Provide Platform for Software Components

Chennai, February 29, 2000. Component Management Group™ (CMG) headquartered in Virginia, USA, a not-for-profit, developer-focused coalition, announced forging a strategic alliance with Cognizant Technology Solutions (Cognizant), a leading provider of e-business and application management services to Fortune 500 and blue chip companies in the US and Europe. This alliance will facilitate training of Cognizant's software professionals on component-based technologies, the cutting-edge technology that will empower business in this new millennium.

CMG will introduce technical instructional courseware on component technologies though Cognizant's web-based information management system. CMG will create a "Virtual Center of Excellence in Component Technology" for the benefit of Cognizant's 2200 software professionals across the globe. This initiative will realize CMG's mission to disseminate component-based technology to software organizations in India and Cognizant's commitment to train their professionals in component programming, software architecture and reuse engineering-the essential ingredients of component technology. CMG will also provide technical instructional courseware through Cognizant's web-based information management system and online support through mailing mechanisms and collaborative discussion forums to the various professional groups pursuing these courses.

"To help Indian software companies move up the value chain, CMG will provide the much-needed technology backup to address and realize a substantial share of the burgeoning software export market," said Dr. Mowbray, Chairman, CMG Inc. "This initiative will provide high-end training services in component technologies through well-defined courseware and global expertise in component technology. With e-business projected to grow rapidly, companies worldwide are poised to jump ahead to the distributed computing model. Software services companies will have to realign themselves into new business opportunities."

"Cognizant is known for embracing emerging technologies, building expertise in them, and deploying them in their projects for clients long before that technology becomes commonplace," said Mr. Lakshmi Narayan, President & COO, Cognizant. "This alliance with CMG will allow our associates to be trained in componentware by best-of-breed consultants and have access to the knowledge base of CMG. Our continued aim is to add strategic value to our clients and give them that critical edge to stay head of the competition."

About Component Management Group India CMG (India)

was set up in July 1998 with the aim of supporting Dr. Mowbray's idea of ushering in software industrialization. CMG India aims to set up a consortium of companies in India to disseminate component-based technology (with CORBA® as the architecture) and to coordinate in establishing Component Management Group with Component Academy in SAARC and Asia-Pacific countries. The consortium will work towards repositioning India as a destination for component-based development.

CMG (India) is associated with the Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) to provide the best technological infrastructure to Indian developer. CMG has also signed an MoU with Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Bangalore, a government of Karnataka enterprise in high-end education in IT, for jointly promoting component technologies in India and the SAARC region.

About Cognizant Technology Solutions

Cognizant delivers high-quality, cost-effective, full life-cycle solutions to complex software development and management problems. Cognizant employs more than 2,200 computer science and engineering professionals globally, including at its eight development centers in India. The company specializes in e-business and application management. Cognizant has been assessed at SEI/CMM Level 4 and is ISO 9001 certified across all of its development centers. Based on sustained revenue and earnings growth, Forbes magazine named Cognizant the best small company in its Nov. 1, 1999 listing of the 200 Best Small Companies. For more information, visit Cognizant on the Web at http://www.cognizant.com

For further information contact:

Ms. Poornima iCMG
Ph: 080 - 2286 5620
e-mail: poornima@iCMGworld.com

R. Ramkumar
Cognizant Technology Solutions
38, Whites Road Royapettah
Chennai 600 014
Ph: 044-858 5690 Extn: 5038
e-mail: rramkumar@chn.cts-corp.com