Drew Douglas or Elizabeth MillunchickCorporate Technology Communications(312) 832-9300ddouglas@ctcomm.comemillunchick@ctcomm.comCherity MorrisonFitzGerald Communications(415) 986-9500 ext. 219cmorrison@fitzgerald.com
Partnership Provides IT Professionals with Wealth of Online IT Support in a Private-labeled Environment
LOUISVILLE, Ky. and SUNNYVALE, Calif., May 16, 2000—TechRepublic (www.techrepublic.com), the leading online destination developed exclusively for the IT professional by the IT professional, and NoWonder, the largest net marketplace for IT support and services, today announced the launch of a co-branded net marketplace for IT services and support. The partnership provides TechRepublic members a quick and easy way to resolve any type of computer support question by simply clicking the Interactive Help feature on the TechRepublic site. This alliance offers access to thousands of participating IT support providers by automatically routing them to a co-branded net marketplace, delivering live support with the benefit of a familiar and integrated user experience.

“We are excited to partner with NoWonder and to add their marketplace as one of the latest enhancements to the TechRepublic site,” said Tom Cottingham, president and CEO of TechRepublic. “Our members asked for more in-depth answers to their most technical questions, and we responded. By partnering with NoWonder’s extensive IT service and support base, TechRepublic is further empowering today’s IT pro with what they need to succeed.”

“Our partnership with TechRepublic furthers our ability to offer IT professionals the most efficient and effective way to resolve any type of computer support question—24 hours a day, seven days a week,” said Anthony Lye, president and CEO for NoWonder. “Our marketplace offers TechRepublic members the solutions they need from people that are experts in a wide range of fields.

TechRepublic members using NoWonder’s marketplace can ask technical questions ranging from desktop Windows to worldwide databases. Members post their requests for IT support or services to a NoWonder marketplace page that is private-labeled for TechRepublic members. Service providers in the marketplace then bid to fulfill that request. Members can opt to stay online for live help or go offline to be notified by e-mail as new bids and comments are posted. This notification feature invites the member to return to the site to review bids and choose a provider for either immediate support delivery or to schedule a later time.

On an average month, the TechRepublic Web site logs more than six million page views. Visitors to the site, and the more than 550,000 members, obtain news, information, and the latest in trends and analysis in information technology.

About NoWonder
NoWonder is the online marketplace for IT support and services at www.nowonder.com. It provides small and corporate business users with a resource for fast, reliable, and personalized assistance. NoWonder empowers users to choose the provider that meets their needs at the price they are willing to pay. Customers and partners of NoWonder include About.com, Inc., Aspect Communications Corporation, Autodesk, Inc., Bell Atlantic.net, BMC Software, Inc., CNET, Microsoft Corp., Netscape Communications Corp., Remedy Corporation, and Pivotal Corporation. More information on NoWonder is available at www.nowonder.com.

About TechRepublic
TechRepublic is the leading online destination developed exclusively for IT professionals by IT professionals. TechRepublic was acquired by Gartner Group, Inc. in March 2000. With the Gartner relationship, TechRepublic provides its members the largest and most comprehensive source of IT community, content, and research available anywhere. Services include IT industry news, analysis, columns, articles, downloads, career management tips, forums, job directory, peer directory, vendor directory, auctions,e-commerce offerings, event listings, and electronic newsletters.

Content on TechRepublic.com is categorized by IT job segments. AdminRepublic features content written specifically for network administrators; CIORepublic provides analysis and insight for an organization’s CIO, CTO, and other IT executives; ManagerRepublic provides information and resources for IT managers; SupportRepublic’s solutions assist help desk professionals; and TrainingRepublic prepares IT trainers with a wealth of resources and advice.

NoWonder is a trademark of NoWonder, Inc. of Sunnyvale, CA. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.