Lucid8 Attains Gold Certified Partner Status in Microsoft Partner Program

BELLEVUE, Wash., October 3, 2006

Lucid8 LLC, the company that optimizes space, reliability, efficiency, and recoverability for Microsoft Exchange Server databases, today announced it has attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in ISV/Software Solutions, recognizing Lucid8’s expertise and impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified Partner, Lucid8 has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers’ needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the channel.

The close coordination with Microsoft to build the best, most powerful automated maintenance, optimization and continuous data protection solution for Microsoft Exchange Servers, Lucid8’s Enterprise System Protector ™ Suite (ESP), led to the certification. The ESP Suite combines Lucid8’s GOexchange™ and DigiVault™ applications, benefiting from DigiVault’s minute-to-minute protection of the e-mail database for unprecedented levels of protection, and from GOexchange’s consistent and flawless Exchange system maintenance execution that increases performance and stability, improves productivity, and drastically reduces storage requirements such as information store size, as well as administration and maintenance time for Microsoft Exchange optimization.

“We are extremely pleased to have attained Gold Certified Partner status in the Microsoft Partner Program. This allows us to clearly promote our expertise and relationship with Microsoft to our customers,” said Troy Werelius, CEO of Lucid8. “The benefits provided through our Gold Certified Partner status will allow us to continue to enhance the offerings that we provide for customers.”

“Customers are looking for partner companies that can bridge the gap between their business demands and technology capabilities,” said Allison Watson, corporate vice president of the Worldwide Partner Sales and Marketing Group at Microsoft Corp. “They need to trust in a company that can act as an expert adviser for their long-term strategic technology plans. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners, which have certified expertise and direct training and support from Microsoft, can build a positive customer experience with our technologies. Today, Microsoft recognizes Lucid8 as a new Gold Certified Partner for demonstrating its expertise providing customer satisfaction using Microsoft products and technology.”

As one of the requirements for attaining Gold Certified Partner status, Lucid8 had to declare a Microsoft Competency. Microsoft Competencies are designed to help differentiate a partner’s capabilities with specific Microsoft technologies to customers looking for a particular type of solution. Each competency has a unique set of requirements and benefits, formulated to accurately represent the specific skills and services that partners bring to the technology industry.

The ISV/Software Solutions Competency recognizes the skill and focus partners bring to a particular solution set. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners that have obtained this competency have a successful record of developing and marketing packed software based on Microsoft technologies.

“Solutions competencies are an important way for Microsoft to better enable ISVs to meet customer needs,” said Sanjay Parthasarathy, corporate vice president of the Developer & Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft. “They allow ISVs to keep and win customers through their deep knowledge of solutions-based Microsoft platform technologies. Microsoft has a long history of working closely with ISV partners to help them deliver compelling solutions and applications to our mutual customers, and the Microsoft Competencies are an important step in continuing to enhance vital relationships with ISVs worldwide.”

The Microsoft Partner Program was launched in October 2003 and represents Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to the success of partners worldwide. The program offers a single, integrated partnering framework that recognizes partner expertise, rewards the total impact that partners have in the technology marketplace, and delivers more value to help partners’ businesses be successful.

About Lucid8 LLC
Lucid8 LLC provides automated disaster prevention, optimization and recovery software for Microsoft Exchange Server. Together, Lucid8’s DigiVault and GOexchange ensure optimal uptime and performance of Microsoft Exchange Server while continuously protecting valuable corporate data. Established in 1996, Lucid8 serves customers worldwide ranging from small businesses to Fortune 100 companies. For more information, visit www.lucid8.com or call 425.451.2595.