Accenture and Sign On Team to Deliver Solutions for Secure Transfer of Documents Over the Internet

Accenture and Sign On Team to Deliver Solutions for Secure Transfer of Documents Over the Internet STOCKHOLM, March 25, 2001 - Accenture, a leading global management and technology consulting organization, and Sign On AB, a Swedish leading- edge developer of technologies for ensuring secure transactions over the Internet, are teaming to customize, co-market and co-deliver Sign On's FormPipe security solution to organizations in the Nordic market. Under the terms of the agreement, Accenture will be a Sign On preferred integration partner in the Nordic region and will also be able to offer the FormPipe product to its European clients. Sign On will gain access to Accenture and Avanade consultant support and expertise in client implementation projects and in further development of FormPipe. Avanade, a joint venture of Accenture and Microsoft that delivers enterprise technology solutions, will provide the technical expertise to help customize and implement FormPipe on the Microsoft Windows® 2000 and .NET platforms. "Through our agreement with Sign On, we can offer our clients secure, cost-effective Internet and intranet solutions to replace many paperbound processes," said Jörgen Lenz, a partner with Accenture. "These solutions should help businesses and governmental bodies reduce the costs associated with the data input, postage, archiving and administration of forms and documents." FormPipe is an Internet-based software solution for transmitting, receiving and electronically signing legally binding documents securely over the Internet. With FormPipe, users can electronically sign and encrypt virtually any document; the electronic signature guarantees that documents cannot be manipulated without detection, and the encryption renders documents' contents indecipherable to unauthorized (third) parties. Electronic signatures, which became legally binding in the United States in October 2000, will become legally binding in 15 European Union countries in July 2001. Many analysts believe that this will result in a considerable increase of the demand for electronic signature capabilities worldwide. "Our agreement with Accenture should enable us to make FormPipe the de facto European standard for secure Internet document transfer," said Bosse Falgard, chief executive officer of Sign On. "Accenture's client base includes large enterprises and governmental bodies, the primary target groups for FormPipe." About Accenture Accenture, formerly known as Andersen Consulting, is a $10 billion global management and technology consulting organization. The firm is reinventing itself to become the market maker, architect and builder of the new economy, bringing innovations to improve the way the world works and lives. More than 70,000 people in 46 countries deliver a wide range of specialized capabilities and solutions to clients across all industries. Under its strategy, the firm is building a network of businesses to meet the full range of client needs - consulting, technology, outsourcing, alliances and venture capital. Accenture's home page is www.accenture.com. About Sign On Sign On AB (publ) is noted at OM, the New Market at the Stockholm Stock Exchange. The company has produced and sold subscriptions for electronic forms since 1996. Sign On has developed and owns the software program FormPipe, which is a complete system for handling electronically signed documents and agreements. At present, Sign On has about 50 employees and is a Swedish agent for SignForm, an Internet-based database for all types of forms that authorities, companies and private people require. SignForm currently has offices in 11 countries. For further information: http://www.signon.se. About Avanade Founded in April 2000, Avanade Inc. is a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture that leverages the Microsoft platform to deliver enterprise technology solutions. Avanade creates value for its customers by designing, building, and deploying customized, reliable architectures and scalable infrastructures to increase profitability, improve speed-to-market, and accelerate growth. With more than 1,000 employees throughout Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Americas, Avanade provides cutting-edge technology integration services to Global 2000 companies and emerging market- makers. Additional information can be found on the Avanade Website at www.avanade.com. # # # For more information contact: Jörgen Lenz Andreas Halvarsson Accenture Sign On +08-451 34 55 +46 8 555 290 07 jorgen.lenz@accenture.com +46 8 70 545 95 95 (mobile) andreas.halvarsson@signon.se On January 1, 2001 Andersen Consulting changed its name to Accenture. Since August 7, 2000 Accenture has not been associated with Andersen Worldwide or Arthur Andersen. ------------------------------------------------------------ This information was brought to you by BIT http://www.bit.se The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/03/26/20010323BIT01140/bit0002.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/2001/03/26/20010323BIT01140/bit0002.pdf