IBM Opens Olympic Information Technology Showcase

Visiting Customers Can Experience IBM Technology Solution Built to Run
Centennial Olympic Games

ATLANTA, May 9, 1996 . . . IBM today announced the opening of its
Atlanta-based IBM Olympic Information Technology Showcase, which will show
IBM customers how the information technology supporting the 1996
Centennial Olympic Games can be adapted to meet their particular needs.

Located in the Inforum, the headquarters of the Atlanta Committee for the
Olympic Games (ACOG), the showcase will offer half- and full-day
presentations focusing on the end-to-end technology solution created for
the Atlanta Olympic Games. The 20,000-square-foot showcase is expected to
host more than 8,000 people from May through October, 1996. The center
features 60 personal computers, all with live Internet connections, and
has 20 IBM staffers available to demonstrate the systems to visiting
customers.

"The Olympic Information Technology Showcase is a perfect opportunity for
IBM to demonstrate the technology solution it created for its customer,
ACOG," said Eli Primrose-Smith, director, Worldwide Olympic and Sports
Operations, IBM. "This information technology infrastructure brings
together IBM hardware, software, services and people to deliver advanced,
innovative solutions that fulfill most of the operational and business
requirements of the Olympic Games, and these same solutions can be
deployed in any business setting to meet a customer's specific technology
needs."

IBM created four major applications within the information technology
framework it has deployed for the Atlanta Olympic Games: the Results
System, which tracks scores and statistics for 271 events at 31 separate
venues; the Info `96 system, which provides instant logistical, factual
and biographical data to accredited guests; the Games Management system, a
group of sophisticated, interconnected applications that manage the entire
event; and the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games Web Server, which is the
first ever official home page for an Olympic Games, offering fans
everywhere instant access to real-time results as well as pictures,
graphics and Olympic Games facts. In addition to these four major
solutions, IBM systems and people manage a variety of specialized
applications, including a virtual reality application to interpret
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) blueprints and a Lotus Notes-based incident
tracking application for Games security. This infrastructure incorporates
many components available for use by businesses today and includes
client/server systems, rapid application development, object-oriented
design, wireless data communication, high-bandwidth local area and wide
area networking and global communications over the Internet to enable
information access.

The exhibits in the showcase highlight the accessibility of the technology,
and allow customers to see first-hand these Olympic Games applications:

-- The Olympic Games Results System, which uses pen-based, laptop computers
to collect statistics and scoring information for team and individual
sports;

-- The Olympic Games Commentator Information System, which provides
announcers with background information, performance statistics and
real-time scoring;

-- The Olympic Games Information System, also known as Info `96, which
features an information retrieval system that allows the Olympic Games
Family to track event schedules, transportation, weather, news and more
than 25,000 biographies;

-- The 1996 Olympic Games Web Server, created by IBM for ACOG, which allows
global access to the excitement of the Olympic Games via the Internet;

-- The Olympic Games Incident Tracking System, which uses Lotus Notes to
track, monitor and coordinate responses to security incidents, and manage
inventory;

-- The Olympic Games Virtual Venue Flythrough, which features IBM's 3D
Interaction Accelerator, to allow real-time visualizations and "tours" of
venues.

"IBM's 1996 Olympic Games involvement mirrors the future of information
technology, where applications are integrated into a networked computing
environment," said Primrose-Smith. "Many organizations are faced with the
same challenges that confronted the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic
Games: fixed deadlines, budget and resource constraints, high customer
expectation, the need to integrate legacy systems while creating new
systems, and the desire to take advantage of advanced technologies. This
showcase is a perfect way for customers to visualize how IBM can translate
these Olympic Games solutions into solutions tailored to the needs of a
changing business environment."

Tour space is limited; to schedule a briefing, a company should contact its
IBM client representative or the IBM Olympic Information Technology
Showcase Manager, Randy Daniel, at 404-548-7265.

IBM and the Olympic Games

IBM has contributed to the Olympic Games since 1960, and is now the
information technology provider for the 1996 Olympic Games through to the
2000 Games. IBM is contributing its industry-leading technology and
integration services to make the 1996 Olympic Games the most efficient and
accessible Games to date.

IBM is providing computer hardware, software and related services to plan,
run and manage the Centennial Olympic Games. For the 1996 Olympic Games,
IBM has built a three-tier, completely interoperable information systems
infrastructure supporting more than 100 applications and holding three
terabytes worth of time-sensitive, transaction-oriented data. The
information systems technology environment was structured on the model of
a vast, diverse corporate enterprise consisting of 150,000 athletes and
staff, and millions of fans worldwide.

Please Note: Questions about the content or currency of this press release
should be directed to your local IBM representative.
 
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