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Idiom Defines 'Globalization Gap' As Primary Obstacle To Effective Web Site Globalization

Maintaining Multilingual and Multicultural Web Sites Proves Significant Challenge for Most e-Businesses

Waltham, MA - November 29, 2000 - Idiom Technologies, Inc., the premier provider of Web globalization solutions, through its on-going research and customer implementations has defined a leading obstacle to successful Web site globalization - the Globalization GapSM. Companies seeking to expand their businesses internationally by leveraging the rapid increase of Internet users in Europe, South America and the Asian Pacific Rim have found it difficult to deploy and maintain multilingual and multicultural Web sites.

Currently half of all Internet users live outside the United States. International Data Corporatation (IDC) predicts that by the end of 2003, the U.S. will account for less than one-third of the Web's 602 million users. Global expansion of the Internet promises to provide businesses with the ability to expand customer reach and enhance brand recognition, making it vital for companies to adopt a global e-business strategy.

Companies that globalize have a clear competitive advantage because they are able to convert foreign visitors to their sites into customers, increasing their top-line revenue. According to a recent study by IDC, 60% of B2B companies have adopted an e-business globalization initiative. Yet many of them are learning the hard way that participation in the global Internet economy requires more than simple Web site translation.

"A strategy of point-in-time translation to meet specific local market demands inevitably results in both timeliness and synchronization issues between domestic and international Web sites, hence, the 'Globalization Gap,'" said Fred Lizza, CEO of Waltham-based Idiom. "This in turn leads to missed revenue opportunity, inconsistent branding, and tarnished customer relationships."

"At Go2Call, our objective was to go global from day one, so we simply couldn't afford a Globalization Gap," said Larry Spear, co-founder of Go2Call, an international PC-to-phone service provider. "We knew that we had to localize and synchronize our Web presence country-to-country in order to maximize our international e-business."

The Globalization GapSM The Globalization Gap results from the volume, variety, and volatility of information on today's Web sites. Because Web content changes constantly, organizations have found that the very day they deploy a new international site, that site's content is already out of sync with the corporate site. Inevitably, the corporate site has added new marketing promotions, price incentives, product enhancements, or financial results. Whatever the changes - the international site now lags the corporate site. Not surprisingly, the "Globalization Gap" actually expands over time and with the addition of more country sites.

A recent National Opinion Poll (NOP) Research report indicates that businesses have lost control of the content published on their Web sites. The report found that:

77 percent of companies publish outdated Web content
41 percent of respondents believe that information was duplicated across their company's Web sites
83 percent of respondents view their Web sites as important business tools used by senior management
56 percent admitted that it takes more than a day to get information published on their Web sites

Companies looking to expand their online presence across many countries are learning that globalization goes far beyond translation or currency conversion. It requires setting up business rules and workflow processes to manage the localization of content in order to prevent the "Globalization Gap." By recognizing and addressing the "Globalization Gap," companies can gain control of Web content and develop effective processes that enable consistently high-quality e-business experiences for all visitors - regardless of location, language, or culture. As the world economy grows larger, and as more non-English speakers access the Web, the companies that thrive will be those that can minimize the "Globalization Gap" through effective implementation of Web globalization solutions.

About Idiom Technologies, Inc.
Idiom is the leading provider of software, strategy and services for e-business globalization. Idiom WorldServer™ is Web infrastructure software for globalization that enables the coordinated and efficient development of multilingual, multicultural Web sites and automates and synchronizes their management. Idiom strategy and services offerings include WorldWise™ (www.idiominc.com/worldwise), the premier on-line resource center for e-business globalization, and the Global Readiness Assessment™ to help companies develop or expand a path to successful globalization. Idiom's customers include multinational companies and dot-coms such as Lycos®, Staples.com™, Travelocity™, and Xilinx, Inc.™. Idiom is funded by Greylock, JAFCO Ventures, North Bridge Venture Partners, and Sigma Partners. Idiom was recently named one of Computerworld's "Top 100 Emerging Companies to Watch in 2000" and by UPSIDE Magazine as one of the "Hot 100 Private Companies." For information on Idiom products and services, call (781) 464-6000, visit www.idiominc.com or email info@idiominc.com.